The Akhkharu Virus
by Mika Uriah
Summary: Henry Foss was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable, man-made and was unleashed by Dr. Gregory Magnus and the Sanctuary. Immune, Henry is now the last human survivor in what is left of Old City and perhaps the world - he is about to find out that he is not alone! - Alternate Reality
1. Prologue

Disclaimers: I own nothing, I thought that it would be interesting to take a movie script or something well known and see if I could make it fit into the "Sanctuary-Universe" as we know it, or at least try. This is the result.

I do not own Sanctuary nor do I own the script that this is based off of "I am Legend" (Screenplay by Mark Protosevich, based on the novel by Richard Matheson), this is the part where I beg you not to sue, please just take this as an homage to a fantastic piece of work, I have done this for pure entertainment and I have not (nor will not) receive in the present time or the future any monetary gain for this piece of work .

**A/N: Akhkharu, based off of the Sumarian and Praxian word for Vampire.**

Prologue

In 1995, researchers at a research facility simply known as "The Sanctuary" in Old City used viruses linked to healthy respiratory cells to destroy and replace diseased cells in patients afflicted with lung cancer.

In 1997, Scientists at the Sanctuary made a significant stride forward. By manipulating the genetic information in a common blood cell and infusing with the characteristics of a potent virus, they were able to create a biological warrior cell – "The Akhkharu." Once introduced into the host, The Akhkharu could hunt and obliterate the body's natural enemies – tumors, thickening arteries, decaying bone; anything.

The 'enemy' would be consumed, digested, and transformed into energy to fuel The Akhkharu. It was a perfect tool and the possibilities were limitless: AIDS, cancer, muscular dystrophy, even the flu – The Akhkharu could beat them all.

The first human trials began in March of 1995. The initial trial group, dubbed the "Magnus five", were all afflicted with something different –These individuals along with Dr. Gregory Magnus (one of the individuals was actually his own daughter – Helen), were about the make more than medical history. They were about to forever change the course of humanity.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – At home

A video image flickers to life: a ruggedly handsome man with dark, haunted eyes. Eyes that have seen hell, appear; "my name is Henry Foss, Today is October 17th 1972. I was born in 1972, on this very day making today my birthday." He pauses to remember "every year for my birthday, my wife Erika would throw me a party: a kid's party; cake, ice cream, funny hats, 'pin the tail on the donkey,'" he chuckled remembering it, but it was humorless, almost sad. "One year she even rented a pony, it didn't matter that we were grown-ups and this was all kind of silly to the neighbors. She just did things like that, she brought such joy into everything she did, everything she touched…" he trails off he was getting to nostalgic so he decides to talk speak about something else.

"I am 30 today. I feel fine. I feel fit. My mental state is….pretty good." He takes another deep breath and cocks his head to the side, he tries to focus again "my name is Henry Foss; I was born 30 years ago in Dublin Ireland. I had a wife Erika and a daughter Alice. I…never knew who my parents were. I hope…someday…when someone finds these tapes…you know who I was. What I was about. What I tried to do. What I try to do" he takes a breath and almost seems to with drawl, it was hard to tell in the video if he was withdrawing from himself or the camera "I think I killed six last night." The video goes to static.

000

Henry Foss switches off the video camera pointed at him. He collapses the tripod and rests the apparatus in a corner. He wears shorts, a t-shirt, tennis shoes. He slices a CD into an impressive music system and Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony blasts from speakers throughout the house.

He is in a serious workout facility: Weights, boxer's heavy bag, rowing machine, et cetera...Henry pushes himself through a series of strenuous exercises. His body is in fantastic shape. Taught muscle, lean, not bulky. His movements are lithe, almost graceful. More track athlete than body builder.

In the shower Henry washes his body and we notice the scars. On his ankles, wrists, neck, stomach, back. A few are the results of crude stitches, the others…bite marks? Scratches?

000

After the shower Henry makes it through what can only be called a library, he passes shelves filled with compact discs, audio cassettes and video tapes and DVDs; he was definitely a collector of all things, he missed the normalcy of being able to pop a DVD into a player and press play; there was another section of his house/library that was filled with books and paintings. Only a carefully selected few hang on the walls – Degas, Klee, Rothko, Van Gogh, the rest are staked like pallets. They must be copies. Right?

A television plays the "today show", Radio is playing NPR's "morning edition", and "Resurrection" is still in the background: a wall of sound, the sounds of an everyday normal life.

Henry descends a Spiral staircase leading to the ground floor.

000

Henry strolls the aisles of a hot house: vegetables, fruit, herbs, potatoes, all in carefully compartmentalized lots. Panes of glass on the roof allow in sunlight.

Henry notices a loose screw on a shutter and pulls a square of metal from his pocket: it's an all-in-one-tool - something Henry is never without, it's only two inches-by-two inches, and it has: a screw driver tip, a serrated 'saw' edge, a knife edge, a magnifying glass, et cetera.

Henry tightens the screw, holds the tool in his teeth-a habit-and makes sure the window is shut tight. Henry picks up a few strawberries, checks the condition of the tomato plant, and trims a vine with the knife side of the tool.

000

Henry sits in the kitchen eating at a table a bowl of oatmeal with the fresh strawberries, sipping a cup of coffee on a wall mounted television is: Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel, Henry watches with an almost disturbing gaze, he mouths along with them, somehow anticipating the "live" dialogue: "and for those of us who'd like to lose a few pounds, Doctor Art Ulene will be here to tell us about his new weight loss plan…" the information contained in the TV show and radio "broadcast" is old and familiar. There's nothing "new" about the news.

Outside there is a dog barking; Henry enters a room adjacent to the kitchen – a state-of-the-art Medical facility: Operating table, pharmacy, I.V.s, EKG, surgical equipment; he uses a hypodermic to draw blood from his arm, he fills two plastic vials and tosses the syringe into a biohazard waste bin.

000

His bedroom is Spartan at best; bed, reading lamp, a few books, a photo of his wife and daughter.

On the wall is a historical painting showing Napoleon's surrender at Waterloo; nearby, within a second's grasp from bedside, are a shotgun and a .44 Magnum and a closet filled with very few clothes –all the same type—Henry loses the robe and steps into a Black tight-fitting body suit similar to a diver's wetsuit, but the material is more flexible. It's some type of protective undergarment, composed of a Kevlar-like mesh.

Henry dons a Kevlar vest, a work shirt and durable pants, he slips on combat boots, tucks the pants into them, and tapes them, and he adds a "utility" belt and fits the blood vials into a secure pouch. He straps on two wrist watches and chains an electronic pocket watch to his belt. Again the dog barks outside; "okay, okay keep your fur on."

He picks up a remote control and switches off the TV, radio and music. It's replaced by an eerie silence.

000

Outside again, Henry is in a no-frills underground garage, a land rover, sports car and motorcycle (not shut off, the walls are lined with halogen lamps.) Henry walks to an electronic control panel and hits a button. The garage door opens, but it doesn't open vertically. Instead, a horizontal panel slides back, parallel with the earth's surface, revealing a slanted cement ramp leading to the garage below.

Sunlight pours in from above, a dog barks, a muscular canine silhouetted at the top. Henry whistles. The dog—a large Husky-Sheppard mix-bounds down the ramp, delighted to see its master. Henry reacts coldly; No, "hi, boy, how ya doin'?!" nothing. The dog wants a reaction, but Henry is firm.

He opens a cabinet, grabs a bag, and pours some chow. The dog hungrily devours his breakfast and Henry sees the bag is empty. He opens another and finds it's crawling with ants "terrific," He dumps the infested bag into a trash container.

Henry whistles and points and Land Rover. The dog leaps into the vehicle. Henry shuts the door of the customized rover: the roof, hood, doors and trunk are crisscrossed with barbed wire. All windows – save the wind shield and that is protected by chicken wire – have been replaced by thick metal plates. Slits are cut into the steel, but visibility is limited.

Henry climbs behind the wheel. The interior of the vehicle is outfitted with emergency medical supplies, flares, heavy-duty flashlights, lamps, rope, wire, tools. The dog settles on a blanket on the floor. Henry hits a few switches and closed-circuit monitors flicker to life. Via video, they show the side and rear views from the Land Rover. Henry starts up the Land Rover and the souped-up engine roars to life, we stay within the Land Rover as it ascends the ramp; he dons sunglasses "another beautiful day."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – in the city

The land rovers speeds along, the road is in great disrepair and littered with debris. The trees are barren, the area deathly silent, and there is absolutely no other traffic.

Henry continues to listen to Resurrection on the Rover's CD player. He spots a drive-way and turns into it.

High on a hill sits an abandoned broadcasting facility and tower: this too is in utter disrepair the Land Rover is parked outside, very familiar with the equipment, Henry connects wires, throws switches, and powers up the emergency generator.

Henry adjusts the mixing panel and takes a seat behind a microphone; it looks like a tornado blew through it. "Good morning old city, Hank Foss here with you this morning, Monday through Sunday, seven days a week, three hundred sixty five fucking days a year. Traffic? There is none. Weather? Who cares. News? I'm still alive. What about you, Old City? How 'bout giving me a call? 1-800-f-u-c-k-y-o-u." He glances to his right, the telephone switchboard panel is shattered, dead, covered with dust; "Wow! The board's lit up like a Christmas tree. Too bad our time is up. If you would to see me in the flesh, however, I'll be doing a personal appearance this afternoon at Stanley Park today and every day. 12 Noon. All you have to do is show up" there was dead air "please?" There was more silence, he popped a tape cart into a player "I leave you today with one of my favorites. I know you're sick of the fact that I only play classical music, but frankly, I don't care. I like it. And right now….that's all that matters." An Erica Satie Piano concerto plays, melancholy and haunting.

000

The music continues as the Land Rover cruises through the heart of the city, it's hard to comprehend the visual make-up of the downtown core, the streets are deserted, and litter and dust blow freely with the wind and the buildings looked ravaged. Looted? Burned? Destroyed by an earthquake?

Henry and the dog exit the Rover, Henry wears a shoulder holster containing a .45 automatic, and carries and M-16 machine gun, a high-intensity flashlight is attached to the machine gun barrel and extra and ammo clips taped to its handle.

000

In the pet store merchandise is scattered on the floor – chew toys, plastic bones, etc.—and the dog is drawn to it; Henry whistles and the dog obeys, disappointed. Henry switches on the flashlight and head for the storage room, Henry kicks in the door. The flashlight beam dances to all corners, nothing but old supplies. The dog prances in and leads Henry to the bags of chow. He hefts them onto his shoulder, Henry whistles, the dog doesn't follow; his vision is locked on a thick piece of rawhide. He turns his sad eyes to Henry, who gives in by nodding- the dog happily grabbed it between his teeth.

000

The monuments still remain, but the grass is scorched, tall and dry. Henry eats a sandwich he made at home and the dog chews the rawhide. Henry checks his watch. 12:45 he scans the area, absolutely no one in sight. Forlornly, he stares at the ground, the cracks in the pavement…Alone.

000

The streets are abandoned, buildings deserted. The land rover parked at an intersection, the dog on the lookout. Henry stands underneath a lamp post, a coil of wire over his shoulder.

He measures a length, tosses it over his arm of the post, and creates an old-fashioned snape out of the cable. He adjusts, tightens, and pulls one of the vials of blood from his utility belt. He takes a rag, douses it with the blood, and positions it as 'bait' in the snare. Satisfied with the trap, he whistles for the dog and returns to the Land Rover.

000

The land rover pulls to a stop in front of what used to be a large department store. Right now, it looks more like a ghetto tenement. Henry's eyes are glued to something across the street; it's a body. It dangles from one of Henry's traps—one he must have set a previous day. It hangs limply, ankle ensnared by the cable, its head hanging a few feet above the ground.

With the dog at his heels, Henry chambers around in the .45 and approaches the body.

Henry reaches the body and spins it round. As soon as he sees the face of a mannequin, he knows he's fucked. There is no other way to put it.

From a distance Henry hears the sound of a sniper rifle going off, he hits the dirt. The first bullet explodes into the asphalt and Henry rolls.

The second bullet just misses him, he dashes behind and abandoned car, escaping yet another shot from the sniper.

The dog stands in the middle of the street barking at an upper story window in department store.

Henry shouts "get out of the street!" The dog continues to, its eyes on a specific section of the building. Henry steals a glance and sees a rifle barrel poking out of the window frame; another shot whistles past the dog's fur, the beast flinches, afraid; "get over here!" He waves his arms and the dog comes running to his side and he pulls the dog close to him, sheltering him from the gunfire; "dumbest goddamn dog I ever had."

BLAM! A bullet hits the car and Henry is pinned down.

Henry looks down at the pistol in his hand. It's useless against a rifle. And unfortunately, the machine gun is in the Land Rover. He can't make a move. Unless…


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – In the store

Along the curb, hidden from the sniper's view, is a storm drain; Henry inches his way toward it and slithers inside. The dog tries to follow, but Henry motions for him to stay and speak. The dog understands and barks at the sniper; crouching down, Henry is able to scurry to the other side of the street, he inches his way through a crevice.

000

Henry crawls into a dilapidated bathroom in the store's first basement, the plumbing has been backed up for god knows how long and Henry can barely tolerate the stench.

What used to be "House Wares" Henry spies the no-longer-functioning escalators and strides upwards, Henry reaches the fourth floor, there is bizarre graffiti on the wall; it's was awe-inspiring with how sheer emptiness of the store.

000

Henry creeps up the escalator, he hears the sniper, but it's difficult to see anything because the windows in this section have been covered with sheets of cardboard, blankets, and plywood. The only light is a tiny shaft coming through the cracked pane the shooter is using for his rifle.

The shooter himself is bundled in rags, he had gloves cover his hands, a parka hood hides his head, and a scarf shields his face. In a corner is a sort of 'tent' made from bed sheets and blankets.

The sniper watches the street and shoots, there is a distant Ping! – The bullet hits the abandoned car. Henry gauges his surroundings, his enemy and thinks. He positions himself about twenty feet behind the sniper and locks target with the .45.

"Hey."

The sniper jumps, turns around, and shakes in his shoes at the sight of Henry, he fumbles with the rifle.

"Ah-ah-ah."

The sniper stops. It's no use—he'd never be quick enough.

"Slide the gun over," he motions what he wants with a hand in case the sniper doesn't understand him

The sniper has no choice. He sets the rifle on the floor and shoves it at Henry, who quickly examines it.

"A hunter's gun? Where'd you find it?"

No reply.

Henry points the .45, shoots and blasts the window behind the shooter glass explodes and sunlight pours into the room the sniper screams with fright and scurries for darkness. Henry aims his pistol at another window "Where?" he threatened.

"Up north. In the mountains, a cabin." His voice was more of a raspy hiss than an actual voice.

"You're not a part of Adam Worth's bunch."

"Who?"

"Never mind. In the mountains…were there people? Like me?

"If there were, we wouldn't have had to come to the city, now, would we?"

"You're a smart one."

"Thank you."

"You said we," Henry tried and the sniper realizes his error and goes tight-lipped.

"How many?"

No answer.

Henry flips back the top of the "tent" and sees three sleeping areas.

"Where are they?"

The sniper refuses to respond. Henry blasts another window, more light, like a snake escaping a predator, the sniper slithers away, but Henry pounces on him and jams the .45 into the center of his back, he pins one arm and extends the shooter's other arm into the path of the light "NO!" The sniper is in agony.

"Tell me!" Frustrated, Henry, pulls off the man's glove, the sniper's fresh is pale white, so pale it's almost translucent, the effect is quick and painful – the skin blisters and blackens, "Where are they?" The sniper screams and Henry releases him and he hides in the shadows, caressing his tortured limb. The sniper decides to pull off his hood and remove the scarf revealing a demonic visage. Ghostly white flesh so devoid of pigment we can see the blue and purple veins underneath the surface. His eyes are an unearthly cold blue/grey and white. He is completely hairless –nothing on his pate, no brows, no facial hair; his lips a deep ruby red. This thing was once human, but now, now.

"You're him, aren't you? Henry?"

Henry reaches into his belt and takes out a vial of blood, the sniper's eyes light up: "where are they?"

He is mesmerized by the blood and can't help himself "the bay…the basement."

"I was in the basement" Henry's tone told them that he wasn't playing any games.

"Down…below…by the….subway"

"Do they have guns?"

He wouldn't answer, Henry pours a few drops of blood and steps back. Thirstily, the sniper laps it up with his tongue, like a cat to some spilled cream. Henry looks away. The sniper falls back onto a pile of rags and lets his "fix" kick in. His body spasms and his face contort. The sniper's arm jerks and he legs out a satisfied breath. A junkie feeling the high–"we heard about you. Way up in the hills we heard about you," by some miracle, the sniper's charred hand begins to heal.

"What's your name?" Henry tried.

"They used to call me Will" replied the sniper.

Henry nodded "okay, Will, your friends. Do they have any guns?"

Will shook his head "no. we only found the rifle," His hands form a fist; a sinister, unearthly hiss emerges from Will's gullet. He looks at the vial in Henry's hand "more."

"You'll get more if you tell me the truth."

"More!" something dark, something terrible fills the sniper's eyes and he lunges at Henry: Blam! Blam! Blam! Henry pounds him with three bullets. Two in the stomach and one in the shoulder-Blood spatters and Will, but does not fall.

Henry aims at the heart and fires, but his weapon is empty "shit!" he mutters and hastily loads a clip.

Will clutches at his wounds, kneels and touches the floor with his finger. He takes a deep breath and enters into some kind of meditative trance, he is summoning the scattered drops of his blood heed his call like droplets of mercury drawn to a common source, the blood moves across the floor and flows up his finger and into the open bullet wounds and heals them.

"That was clever, the mannequin that took some thought. You nearly had me." Click. Henry jams in the clip, Will moves; Blam. Blam. Blam. Blam-only this time, Henry aims at the windows. Glass shatters and a wall of light pours in, hitting Will like a freight train.

"Noooooooooo!" The skin on Will's face blisters. Smoke rises from underneath his protective clothes and Will actually howls.

Henry, with intense calm, holsters his .45 and raises the rifle "You know, I can understand me, but why shoot at the dog? What did that dog ever do to you?"

Will staggers toward Henry, one last attack. Henry shoots, hit Will square in the chest. The force of the blast propels him backward, to the open windows. Will slips onto the broken glass and falls out the window - Seven stories to the street below.

Henry moves to the window, looks at the sniper's body on the concrete. The dog emerges from behind the abandoned car, sniffs it the direction of the corpse, and looks up at Henry in the window. Henry shouts down "stay away from him! You stay away!" The dog sits "Goodboy!"

000

With a bandana acting as a mask on his face, Henry pulls a spare gas can from the rear of the Land Rover and douses the sniper's corpse (blackening in the sun) with fuel. He ignites a book of matches and tosses them at the body and he had an instant funeral pyre.

Henry reaches into a supply chest in the rear of the Land Rover. He pulls out a mean looking, more powerful machine gun, two ammo clips, a portable high-intensity halogen lamp, a combat knife, here small electronic devices, and a customized remote control. He hangs a pair of night vision goggles around his neck and instructs the dog: "come."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four – the subways

Henry walks past rusting generators to a collapsed which connects to the store to an old subway tunnel. The flashlight on the barrel of the machine gun illuminates the path. The Halogen lamp is strapped to his shoulder, but for now it's switched off. Henry allows the dog to sniff a rag taken from the sniper's 'tent,' having the scent, the dog proceeds into the tunnel. Prior to following Henry fixes one of the small electronic devices to the wall.

000

A dank, dark, creepy place no more electricity to feed the lights or tracks. Henry paces himself behind the dog, flashlight illuminating old cigarette ads, and a sports team billboard, a pile of cat and rate skeletons, the rails, and more graffiti.

The Graffiti isn't the creation of homeboy gangbangers; it is fierce and savage in its beauty. Wild symbols, patters, and colours, it manages to be both majestic and tribal; Henry has seen it many times before and doesn't like it. It spells trouble. He stops and attaches another electronic device to an overhead pipe.

The dog stops and utters a soft bark in the direction of a wrecked subway car that spilled on the tracks ahead. Henry shuts off the flashlight and dons the night-vision goggles. He raises his finger to his lips and the dog knows to proceed quietly. Henry attaches the final electronic device to the door leading to the car and silently enters.

000

Through the greenish tint of the goggles that Henry is wearing he can see the ripped seats, trash and in one corner a human form, an emaciated corpse it is stripped naked, every ounce of blood drained. A festering bullet wound in the chest, the skin punctured by teeth marks. On its chest, an elaborate tribal design, much like the graffiti, somehow raised from the skin, similar to a cattle brand.

Henry checks out the opposite end and finds there are two forms sleeping and breathing. He removes the goggles and motions for the dog to move back.

He readies his weapon with one hand, and reaches back with the other igniting the halogen lamp. Instantly; bright white light floods the compartment. The two figures stir awake and screech.

"Don't move."

They don't listen, instead, they reach into their bedding, pull out two handguns and fire. It wasn't what Henry expecting, as bullets whiz past, he unleashes the machine gun, firing a spray across the car. One of the sleepers' bullets takes out the halogen. It shatters, burning Henry's cheek. More gunfire. Is he hit?

Henry falls back. A firefight in close quarters is not what he wants. He maneuvers back into the tunnel. Takes cover behind a pile of rubble and finds the dog already there.

Blam! Blam! Bullets explode in the wall near his head. He sneaks a peek and sees the two sleepers firing at him from inside the train. Henry reaches into his belt and pulls out the customized remote. He presses one of the buttons and KABLAM! The car is rocked with a small explosion. The door is torn from its mooring and one of the sleepers is ripped apart – the wounded sleeper howls with pain and falls to the tunnel floor, barely able to keep his body from splitting in half. Amazingly, he is still alive.

Blam! The other one's still shooting. Henry takes cover. The second sleeper exits the car and tends to its wounded comrade. Both are the same type of creature as the sniper, but this one, the living one is female. Her dying partner, a male, is finished. She caresses his face, and then buries her mouth in an open wound, infusing herself. Dark blood covers her chin and chest, but as she walks, the liquid crawls across her skin into her mouth. It seems to give mass and power to her body and rich colour to her translucent skin.

She raises her gun. Henry ducks just as she fires. Beep! Beep! Beep! His electronic stopwatch sounds an alarm. He switches off and looks at the sunlight pouring into the tunnel. Its quality slowly starting to shift.

Movement-Both Henry and the female react to sounds behind them, past the wrecked subway car. Henry knows what's coming. Far in the distance, there are more forms-An Army? He and the dog race to the crumbled wall of the department store. The female screeches and gives chase. She's very fast, like a panther. Henry glances up, runs, presses the remote; the second device explodes, collapsing the roof of the tunnel. Pipes, concrete, dirt—it all cascades down. A shaft of light is in from the street above, stopping the female dead in her tracks. The light separates her from Henry and she does not like it. Frustrated she snarls.

Henry helps the dog through the hole and heads for the escalator and he presses the remote. The third device explodes; sealing shut the connection from the store to the tunnel.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – back through town again

Henry and the dog hurriedly enter the Land Rover, haphazardly tossing supplies and weapons into the rear. Henry starts the vehicle and checks the sky; must be about an hour before sunset.

The Land Rover zips down Main Street, Old City as Henry knows it has been raped, mutilated, and murdered: Buildings burned, streets littered with rusting cars, trees and grass dry, dead. No bombs were dropped –too many of the structures are intact – instead, it feels as through something sinister and insidious rotted the place from the inside out.

Most startling is the Bridge linking Old city to the mainland. Barricades, barbed wire, empty National Guard Tanks – all scattered about like a child's toys, it looked like a warzone. The bridge itself is charred and torn, unstable, swaying in the wind.

000

Chinatown, the area he was driving in now, and one of his favorite areas has been ravaged. A wind kicks up the leaflets. The Land Rover speeds through, kicking up old papers. A leaflet reads:

**YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I AM A SURVIVOR JUST LIKE YOU. I WILL HELP YOU. MY NAME IS HENRY. MEET ME IN Stanley Park. On the beach. 12 NOON. MIDDAY EVERY DAY. WHEN THE SUN IS HIGHEST IN THE SKY. PLEASE.**

The leaflet is yellowed and dirty. These things have been floating around for a long time.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – back home again

Land that once helped beautiful homes by the ocean now looked like terrain of some sort of war torn country, or the surface of the moon. Atop one of the hills stands one edifice –Henry's house, the land rover continues to climb.

Henry presses a remote garage door opener; the vehicle slows outside a massive gate fashioned out of wrought iron, corrugated steel, and barbed wire. It wheels open, allows entry than clangs shut once the Rover's inside a turn-of-the-century house. The kind you can't find in other cities. From a distance, it almost looks "normal." But normal it is not. Every window and door has been bricked and cemented shut. Small slits have been cut into the walls at strategic points to provide some vantage. These portals are covered with chicken wire and are outlined by sharp nails pointing outward at jagged angles.

The exterior walls are covered with a hodgepodge of metal plating—steel sheets, corrugated iron. The gables bounded by coils of barbed wire. High-intensity lamps (now shut off) and security cameras just out as odd angles, pointing at every corner of the surrounding landscape.

And what a terrifying landscape it is. In the immediate vicinity, every other house-to the north, south, east, and west-has been burned and razed to provide Henry with an unobstructed view, and to prevent his enemies from using other structures as bases of attack.

Outlining the perimeter of Henry's house are two fences. The interior fence, only fifty feet from the house itself, is seven feet high and constructed of wooden beams and ribbons of barbed wire, crisscrossed and interlaced. From within the house, one could see through, but no one could get past.

The outer fence, much higher and foreboding, forms an impenetrable square. It is composed of railroad ties, telephone poles, metal sheets, iron staffs, barbed wire and massive amounts of razor wire. Outside and in, it is bordered by row upon row of sharp wooden pikes, pointed out.

Between the two fences, within the compound, is a three foot deep ditch, filled with muddy water; a crude moat its circle broken only by a think land bridge over which now comes the Land Rover. There is the sound of an electric whirring, not new to Henry's ears, and a steel door, level with the ground slides back, revealing the slanted driveway into the underground garage.

000

Henry and the dog climb from the stopped Rover. He looks up and sees the sun begin its descent. He hits a button and the upper door slides closed. He wines in pain as he pulls off the shattered Halogen.

000

He bolts and locks the door to the garage, ignites three big generators, opens a fuse box, and flips the circuit breaks. Artificial light flickers on throughout the house.

The basement acts as a workshop, tool room, and repair facility. All manner of hardware is in stock as are various chemicals, electronics, and instruction manuals. At the opposite ends of the room is a weapons arsenal and target range. Henry deposits the busted lamp on a work bench and checks the rifle taken from Will the sniper. He doesn't know why he asked him his name, he just did; maybe he was trying to humanize them in some way, was that even possible now? Why bother if they were just going to try and kill him in the end.

"Sight's for shit."

He dumps it on the work bench and selects a gorgeous marksman's rifle from his well stocked arsenal.

"Now, if you had this, I might not be here right now. Too bad" he finished sardonically.

000

Henry peels off the body suit. We see that his shirt is ripped above the sleeve and a shoulder is badly bruised. He examines the vest and finds a bullet flattened into the fabric. He pries it out ad hangs the suit in his closet. He slips into some loose fitting black pants, black t-shirt and sneakers.

000

Henry looks at a shelf of video tapes: NBC NIGHTLY NEWS/JUNE 4TH 2012, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS/August 10th 2013, ABC nightline/December 15th 2010

He pops one into a VCR he managed to get working and Dan Rather reports on the daily events-A long ago yesterday's events. Henry slides a CD into a player: Gorecki's Miserere. Like this morning a wall of sound. Comforting. "Normal."

000

In the kitchen, Henry digs into a freezer and pulls out two frozen steaks from a dwindling supply of meat; "why not, it's my birthday" he decides.

In the early evening a rather sad figure, Henry, sits at a lonely little table eating his steak, next to it, a lumpy muffin with a thick candle stuck right into its heart, it's to act as a pathetic 'birthday cake.' Uneaten. On the floor, the dog devours his steak—raw. Henry is disturbed by the bloodiness of the meat and can't watch the red juice drop from the dog's mouth.

Nearby, past a TV playing the news video, is a wall of CCTV monitors showing grainy black-and-white images of the area surrounding the house. There's movement on a few of the screens and Henry attunes to it instantly: "they're early."

He snaps into action and moves to a large computer set up near the security video console, takes a seat and calls upon a program detailing the various electronic consoles connected to the compound. And starts hitting the keyboard: lights – dozens of bulbs along the outer fence ignite. Other's atop the roof spray light onto the compound.

Henry grabs the muffin off the table and blows out the candle, and tosses it to the dog, "happy birthday," the dog sniffs it and doesn't find the prospect to appealing.

Henry checks and loads a series of weapons and places guns around the house and heads upstairs.

000

A hatch opens onto a protected deck – a makeshift "crow's nest." It screws with the aesthetics of the old home's architectures, but, it serves a purpose, providing Henry with a high, secure vantage point. He rests his marksman's rifle in a crook, climbs up a small "look out post," and raises a pair of night vision binoculars to his eyes.

In the distance, through the foggy green light of the glasses, forms are seen beyond the outside fence. Right now there are a dozen, maybe twenty. However, to the left, to the right, more, may more are journeying up the hill, toward the house. Hiding in the shadows creeping behind rubble, maybe even crawling through the trenches. Henry slides down the pole on the roof and into the house.

000

Henry opens a door, revealing a small room with in—a converted closet. He moves inside looks around the room, the walls are lined with numerous holy texts and figures of worship – a crucifix, the Buddha, a Celtic cross, rosary beads, Hindu Gods, a menorah, Norse rune stones et cetera.

Henry lights a candle and incense, silently prays. The dog rests outside the door. He becomes alert, hearing the sound before his master: An eerie moan-Low, resonant it goes beyond the walls, beyond the fence; the moaning intensifies and the dog whimpers.

"I know."

The moaning subsides. It is replaced by a deep, rhythmic drumming. There is something powerfully and dangerous to the beat. And it affects Henry.

After the praying, Henry goes back into the living room and plays a CD, he cranks up the volume and the music is loud, angry and disturbing—Krystof Penderecki. Henry moves to the computer screen and presses a combination of keys.

Music blares from speakers mounted on the roof. Outside the fence, the drumming intensifies and is combined with Henry's music; an odd, discordant symphony is created.

Henry sits on the floor, hands covering his ears and the dog whimpers his concern. Finally, Henry screams "stop!" he shuts off the music.

Outside, the drumming continues. Henry grabs the dog by the collar and jerks him to a small hatch cut into the kitchen door. He slides back a bolt and pushes the dog outside.

The dog looks back at Henry with sad, frightened eyes. Henry Angrily instructs "it's your job! Go!" He slides the hatch back in place, locking the dog outside.

000

The dog begins his patrol of the inner perimeter, it is his job to alert Henry to anyone who makes it this far; Out here, the drumming is much louder.

000

Henry emerges from the hatchway, grabs the marksman's rifle, adjusts the sight with the screwdriver tip of the all-in-one-tool, and positions himself in the crow's nest. He arms the weapon and rises the infra-red scope to his eye "All right, Adam Worth, I'm ready."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – meeting Adam Worth and the Hemocytes

**A/N: in case you don't know, or don't remember, THELO is actually the character that Adam "Edge" Copeland (AKA "that wrestler") played in Sanctuary**

**A/N 2: I couldn't resist using Imogene as Adam's "Side kick"/head warrior, it just seemed to fit that Imogene was his daughter in the series…**

000

Far beyond the outer fence, to the source of the drumming, there is an army, a hoard of awesome, frightening creatures. Close to three hundred in number, Male and Female. All have the pale, translucent skin of the creature Henry encountered in the department store and subway, the same lack of hair, the same disturbingly blue/grey/white eyes but this group, this tribe, has something different about it, something strong, something imperious, something savage.

They were very little clothing, their way of showing their magnificently shaped bodies. Most of the men and many of the women are topless, proud of their muscular torsos and ghostly flesh.

Unique tribal markings and jewelry adorn their bodies. However, all, each and every one them, bear one identical mark on their chests. The "brand" Henry saw on the drained corpse in the subway car. It is their mark.

There is a hierarchy to be assembled:

Lowest are caretakers, who nurse and tend to the wounded, above them are the drummers- They are into frightening chants and beat out powerful rhythms on large decorated drums. Next are the clerics—a somber, serious bunch whose markings are very ornate, very significant, very "holy."

The greatest in number are the warriors, the strongest, the fiercest, the most savage-appearing; Hate fills their eyes, Hate fuels them, a pure hate for one man – Henry Foss.

Very near the top are two lieutenants, one leader of the clerics, and the other leader of the warriors. The cleric lieutenant is Thelo, an intense, almost sensitive looking man whose body is the most decorated the most artistic in its impression. The warrior lieutenant is Imogene, a fantastically strong, vicious woman whose body bears the scars of warfare. She possesses manic, ferocious energy.

The leader is Adam Worth – He exudes the confidence and power of a king. His body is chiseled, his visage is haunting. He commands this group with the calm of a head of state, the drive and focus of a field marshal, and the brute force of a tribal warlord.

He stands on a promontory, a big jagged hunk of concrete jutting from the earth's surface. It proves protection and perspective—beyond the range of Henry's guns, but close enough to observe his activity. There is constant movement in the ranks, but all await and heed the word of Adam Worth.

Although these creatures consume blood, are allergic to light, and bear other similarities to vampires, they are not. They are something new, something that has never been seen before, something strikingly different. There is nothing but their existence or their behavior that is based on the occult or the supernatural. They are real. They are called Hemocytes.

Adam Worth raises his arm and the drummers cease "bring her to me."

Two warriors shove forward the female Hemocyte Henry encountered in the subway, Imogene forces her to 'bow,' in submission. Adam Worth gently strokes the female's cheek.

"You wish to join us?"

She nods in the direction of Henry's house, "he killed my love."

Adam Worth nodded and frowned "Henry has killed so many we loved. You want to see him dead? See him punished for this injustice?"

"Yes!" she said

"You want to feed on him?"

"Yes!"

"Why should we grant you that privilege?"

"Why?" she reaches into the small of her back and pulls forth the pistol she used against Henry, "I'll give you this."

Adam Worth and others laugh, he takes it and examines it: "I haven't played with toys since I was a child, what about you Imogene?" Adam Worth tosses it to Imogene and she looks at it with disdain, he turns back to the young woman "Do you really thing I need these relics of the past? I have every weapon I need: My body, my mind, my soul." He regarded the gun "such toys are pointless. Henry. He needs them. Take them away and he is naked," to prove appoint Adam Worth nods to Imogene and she shoots him twice in the stomach. He laughs as his body heals itself, blood refusing to flow, flesh, sealing the holes. Imogene throws the gun into the night. "Remind her of what she has done."

Thelo turns to his clerics and they bring forth the drained corpse the female and her "love" fed upon in the subway car. There is a real anger in the eyes of the other Clerics.

"You recognize him?" Adam Worth asked.

The female realizes she is in trouble. Adam Worth shows her the distinctive brand on their chest. Adam Worth touches his own brand and the others in the tribe touch theirs.

"It is our mark. It distinguishes us and unites us. Without it, we mean nothing. Without it: we are no better than you. And you disgust me."

"Please" she begged.

"Please?" Adam Worth regarded the corpse "did he beg whimper and plead? If so, what: was your response? How did you react? With understanding? Compassion? Or with hunger and brutality?" Adam Worth extends his arm. He concentrates and the muscles and tendons of the forearm thicken, elegantly his nails grow, creeping forth from the flesh, forming razor-like talons; "life is eternal," he slashes her throat and her chest not once, but twice. Her body spasms and twitches as the massive blood loss, but there's clearly still life in her eyes. Her flesh tries to heal itself, to heal the wounds. Adam Worth looks to Imogene; "who goes forth tonight?"

Imogene motions toward ten Hemocyte warriors, their faces and bodies painted differently than the others.

"Feast upon her" Adam Worth told them "let the blood give you strength. You're brother's spirit will live within you. Go. Drink."

The ten move on the female like vultures to Carrion. She screams and within moments, she is drained. The other Hemocytes link hands and surround the warriors; Adam Worth approaches the body of the female, a last glimmer of life in her eyes. He whispers "this is not a punishment. It is a gift," his talons puncture her heart. The talons recede and her blood forms a pool in the cup of Adam Worth's hand; "you have chosen on this night of glorious darkness to do battle with an anachronism. Our nemesis. Say his name."

"Henry!" the warriors chant together.

"Allow the blood to flow through you, allow its power to strengthen your limbs, your flesh, and your soul. Feel its beauty. Feel its immense force!"

Fueled by the fresh blood, the bodies of the ten men and women seem to grow in mass and muscle. Their skin thickens, forming a kind of flesh armor. They open their eyes and they are red with ferocity.

Adam Worth raises his own hand to his mouth, drinks and kisses each warrior on the mouth, "Feel the power!" He repeats this down the line, when finished, the warriors are frighteningly pumped up, their bodies and spirits now adrenalized with terrible dark energy.

Everyone chants "Hen-ry" again and again – "Hen-ry." Adam Worth signals the drummers who begin an accelerated beat, and accompaniment to combat. Like magnificent predatory beats, the ten warriors move across the barren landscape and father at the outside of the fence.

Adam worth stands atop of the promontory and points to the house, "Destroy the devil!"

The warriors scream.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Trying to destroy the Devil

A dark intensity in his eyes, Henry watches the perimeter and he hears the howling and drumming of the Hemocytes echoes through the night sky. He does his best to block it out. Block it out.

In the distance, long poles are raised against the outer fence. The ten climb, reaching the razor-wired crest.

Henry looks through his infra-red sight, finds the chest of the one warrior and fires three rounds—two find the heart. The warrior drops. Henry searches for another target.

Atop the fence, the warriors struggle to avoid lacerating themselves with the razor wire. Three strong Hemocytes leap over the wire and land in the compound, avoiding the row of pikes before the moat.

On the roof, Henry switches on super bright lights aimed at the outer fence. There is a considerable notice of the dimming of other lights in and around the house as these lamps draw power.

Atop the fence, six Hemocytes are blinded by the light. One loses his footing and falls back onto the exterior pikes, horribly impaled. Another badly cuts himself on the razor wire. The blood loss is too great and the warrior nearest him-a beautiful woman-wills it to her, drawing the fuel into her mouth, into her system, and leaps into the compound.

In the crow's nest, Henry removes the sight and uses the high-intensity lamps to seek out the three remaining Hemocytes on the fence. He shoots. Hits one square in the chest, dropping him. Shoots again and bullets tear into the flesh of another, but they're off-center and the wounds heal. This Hemocyte leaps, joining the others inside the compound.

The last of the three jumps down but Henry fires and catches her in mid-flight, spinning her off-balance. She tries to correct her fall, but lands on the Interior Pikes. Her body is speared in three different places, but she's still alive.

On the roof, Henry shuts off the high-intensity lamps (returning power to the other utilities). Inside the inner perimeter, the dog barks, alerting Henry to the five Hemocytes that made it into the compound.

"I know, I know" he sighed and climbed through the hatch into the house.

000

Henry propels himself down the spiral stair case and moves to the monitoring station—on the closed-circuit screens, Henry can see foggy images of Worth and his followers outside the compound, images of the five Hemocytes just inside the compound and the dog patrolling the inner perimeter.

Henry checks the computer and finds—an over view layout of the compound. Henry checks the video of the five within the compound near the moat.

"You like surprises?"

000

The five Hemocytes gather around the warrior impaled on the inner pikes. She struggles to pull herself off the sharp poles, but the blood continues to seep out of her.

Warrior one –a muscular male—gently leans in and kisses her, the others congregate and drink her blood. The impaled warrior dies. The bodies of the Hemocytes grow stronger. They turn and hiss at the dog, move through the pikes, and toward the moat.

000

Henry bounds upstairs to a second story slit/window. He punches out the protective chicken wire with his fist and reaches for something on a table, a flare gun.

"I like surprises."

000

Warrior Two and three try to leap across the ditch, but don't make it. They slide into the watery mud, warrior one succeeds in jumping across. Warrior four and the beautiful female warrior approach the edge of the moat. Four is about to slide into the muck when beautiful female recognizes an odor, inhales deeply then realizes something terrible.

000

Henry aims the flare pistol at the moat and fires.

000

The flare sails from the bedroom window into the moat. It takes only a split second for the Hemocyte to realize the ditch is filled with gasoline. Warrior one is blasted back by the eruption of the flame, two and Three howl with despair as they are roasted alive. Fire spirals into the black sky. The beautiful female pulls warrior Four to safety.

000

Henry watches as the flames spread around the moat, forming a circle of fire. As the flames grow higher, the drumming and the chanting of the Hemocytes abruptly cease.

"Get your attention, Worth?!"

000

Worth and his followers watch in horror.

Imogene is furious "we go! Now! All of us!"

"When we send more, it simply means more dead. Our dead," Thelo argued.

"He can't kill us all!"

Worth stepped in to stop the arguing "he can and would even if it meant killing himself in the bargain."

"Cowards!" Imogene snapped "we are all cowards!"

Adam Worth grabs her by the throat and lifts her into the air "you call me a coward? You question my judgment?" he heaves her away like a rag doll. Imogene lands hard. Worth intimidates the hell out of her–out of everyone "Who else challenges me? Who among you?"

000

Henry checks the screen, but smoke obscures the view. He looks at the computer. Moves his mouse to an area labeled 'motion detectors/sensors' and creates and electronic 'x' on the screen for each of the Hemocytes in the compound. Henry pushes a button and an overlay grid appears.

000

Warrior One – through the flames licking the moat—encourages warrior Four and the beautiful female to press on. Warrior One looks to the inner fence. Beyond that it is the dog barking fiercely. When the warrior approaches, the dog runs.

000

Henry observes the computer as the one of the "X"'s steps into a red quadrant of the grid. Henry presses a button.

000

An electronic beep is heard before warrior one steps onto a remote –controlled mine. The concussive blast propels him and back into the fiery ditch. Across the moat, warrior Four and the beautiful female look on it horror.

Frightened, warrior four slinks back in the direction of the outer fence; "we'll never get inside!"

The beautiful female looks at him with disgust, she notices the blast has torn a hole in the fence, creating easy access to the house itself. She turns to her cowardly comrade "I have a better idea," she extends her razor sharp talons.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – X marks the spot (still fighting the devil)

Henry's eyes watch the monitors he can barely make out two hazy figures beyond the moat. Suddenly, one drops from view. He checks the computer screen. The sensors only show the area between the outer fence and inner fence (the area between the house and the inner fence is unmonitored to allow for the dog's patrols.) There is still one "X" outside the moat.

000

The beautiful female stands over the corpse of warrior four, his throat slashed, body pale and drained, rich crimson drips from her lips and her body grows in strength and energy. She sets her sights on the house.

In a magnificent leap, she hurdles over the moat, through the flames, and lands on the other side. The dog growls, she hisses and moves toward him, talons ready.

000

Henry reacts with surprise as the final "X" disappears from the screen. He adjusts the grid, fiddles with the mouse, checks the video screens – nothing. Outside, the dog wildly, then manically scratches at the "dog door." Henry rushes to it, but can't open it – it's stuck. The dog yelps in fear. Henry tries to force open the hatch, but it won't budge. The dog barks a warning. Then silence.

Henry rushes to the monitors, but can't see anything: Just smoke and dead Hemocytes, He frantically paces. Then grabs a flashlight and heads to the basement.

000

Near the garage entrance, Henry removes a steel plate from the wall, revealing a tunnel—about two feet high, three feet wide—leading from the house, below the compound. He grabs two .45 automatics from the arsenal, tucks them in his belt and slithers into the tunnel, flashlight showing the way.

000

Henry reaches a specific section of the crawlspace. Directly above is another hatchway. He undoes the bolt, slides it back, shuts off the flashlight and sits for a few moments in darkness, listening for movement above. When he's satisfied with the level of quiet, he reaches for the hatch.

000

The hatch, camouflaged by dirt and dry grass, flies up from the ground, in a flash, Henry springs up, .45s at the ready. Silhouetted against the gasoline flames in the moat, he surveys the area between the inner fence and the house.

Nothing.

He silently moves to the hole in the barbed wire, inspects it. He follows footprints around the house, eyes moving side to side, behind, above.

He rounds a corner…

Movement.

Raises his weapons. And finds…

…Nothing.

Movement.

He spins, ready to shoot…

The dog-On the opposite side of the barbed wire fence, near the moat; Henry scolds the dog "what are you doing over there?" he points to the hole "get inside."

The dog heads for the hole, then stops and he barks wildly, Henry spins, but the warning comes too late.

The beautiful female Hemocyte stands a few feet away from him. Completely nude. Her talons are sheathed, the blood wiped clean from her mouth and chin. Although her pallor is ghostly, there is not denying her body is comely, seductive, and magnificently shaped. Proud and calm, she extends her hand towards Henry, as if welcoming him.

He raises one of the weapons and aims at her heart. She pouts and takes a step toward him. Henry's hand shakes. His face sweats. His finger cannot pull the trigger. The dog senses his mater's dilemma and runs for the hole.

She speaks "please don't hurt me. I want to…." The beautiful female steps within inches of him. Henry hates himself for being unable to act "…touch you," her hands caress his face and she kisses his neck. Her hands move down his body, along his arms, pull the gun from his fingers, and drop them to the ground. She pulls Henry's hand to her breasts, "touch me," as Henry becomes lost in her flesh, the beautiful female extends an arm, talons emerge from her fingers, her eyes glow with hate, with blood lust, "so easy."

As her razor-sharp fingers move to his throat, the dog tackles them both. Henry snaps out of his sexual reverie and pushes her away. She lashes out, slashing his forearm. Henry scrambles for the guns. The dog jumps at the Hemocyte, but she bats him away, knocking him unconscious.

Henry aims the .45s and fires: Three-four-five-six shots from each gun protecting herself, the Beautiful Female turns sideways and covers her chest with her arms. The skin thickens on command, forming a protective shield. The bullets penetrate, but do not cause damage.

Henry drops the spent, smoking weapons to the ground. The Beautiful Female stands and "commands" her skin to return to "normal." She looks the helpless Henry up and down and laughs: a superior, cruel laugh. She bares her teeth, hisses, and moves in for the kill.

Like lightning, Henry reaches into a boot sheath, pulls his combat knife, and drives it into his attacker's heart. The Beautiful Female screeches with shock. Henry twists the blade. She falls to her knees and tries to summon her body to heal, but the damage is too great, the loss of blood immense. She hisses and dies.

As life drains from her, her eyes become soft, almost human Henry is haunted by the transformation and cannot bear to watch. A whimper-The dog is regaining consciousness. Henry lifts him in his arms and heads for the tunnel.

000

Worth kneels, deeply feeling. He rises. Stoic. Majestically raises his arms "Let them hear you! Tell their souls we do not forget!"

Thelo and his clerics lead the tribe in a mournful chant. The drummers provide haunting accompaniment. There is something disturbing, yet beautiful about the sound.

000

Henry is shirtless, tending to the lacerations on his forearm. He disinfects, bandages, and then looks to the dog that lies on an exam table, stunned, but conscious. Henry examines his pelt for cuts, checks his bones for breaks, "you okay?" The dog looks up at him with sad eyes, then licks his face, "awe, yeah, you're okay," the dog reacts to the distant mournful sound generate by the Hemocytes.

Henry too can't seem to deny its power; he lifts the dog in his arms.

Henry huddles in a corner, cradling the dog in his arms, needing the contact with another living thing. The mournful chanting intensifies, and Henry fights back the tears. He desperately holds the dog, burying his face his fur.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Dawn

Dawn hits and the Hemocytes are long gone. The bodies of the warriors who never made it past the outer fence have been taken away; however the bodies of the Hemocytes who died within the compound remain, smoldering in the early morning light. The gasoline fire has died and black acrid smoke forms a fine mist over the compound.

Henry and the dog slumber in the corner. An alarm sounds from the upstairs bedroom and Henry bolts awake, reaching for a gun that isn't there. The dog springs away. Body aching, Henry initiates his daily routine.

000

More classical music; something upbeat – plays over Henry working out in the exercise room, he showers, applies a new bandage in the medical facility, he selects another video-another past episode from the "today show" and a tape of the "morning edition". The sound of "normalcy." He removes the steel shutters from the roof of the greenhouse, and picks fruits and vegetables for today's meals. He stops near a section of flowers, taken in by their simple beauty.

000

He surprises himself further by depleting his supply of meat and giving the dog another steak. The dog too, is shocked, but delighted. Henry sits at the small table, barely touches his oatmeal and strawberries, and watches the dog, "you saved my ass last night, you son of a bitch," he regarded the steak "for what it is worth…Enjoy."

000

Henry dresses, he finds himself staring at the photograph on his bed side table, and it's of his wife Erika and their daughter Alice. Both beautiful. Smiling. Henry's eyes are cold. Almost blank.

000

In the kitchen, Henry addresses the video camera, his daily journal "my name is Henry Foss, I was born in Dublin, but live in Old City, October 17th 1972, I had a daughter Alice. My wife…Erika" he stops, takes a breath and continues "ten last night, there were ten. Tonight, they will mourn and there'll be no attack. I'll have 'peace.' But tomorrow it'll start all over again. Why doesn't he give up? Why not, Worth?" He thinks, "why don't you give up, Hank? Why don't you?" he stares into the camera.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Visiting Erika

The Land Rover waits near the inner fence. The dog observes Henry's bleak task—the carting away from dead Hemocytes. Three corpses lay piled on the roof of the vehicle and Henry drags two more out of the moat. He wears gloves and a bandana covers his mouth and nose to block out the stench.

He tends to the sun-ravaged body of the Beautiful Female, but can't bear to look at her face; he lifts her in his arms.

000

The Land Rover turns off Main street just below highway 7, onto the grounds of the presidio, it looks as the, at one time, a small war was fought here. Henry steers the vehicle onto what once was the Army Golf Course, no links here, only deep pits dug far, into the earth. And old sign reads: **U.S GOVERNMENT CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL EMERGENCY CREMATION CENTER.** The Land Rover stops.

000

The dog stays inside the Rover, hating the smell of this place. Henry lines the Hemocyte corpses along the edge of the pit, douses them with gasoline and pushes them over the side. The Beautiful female is the last to go. He lights a Molotov cocktail and lobs it into the pit. A burst of flame rises into the air.

Henry once managed to see a top view of the area where he was in, there were three craters filled with the bones and ashes of human beings. It is a disturbing and unforgettable image that he can never get out of the recess of his brain.

Henry takes something from, the Rover and walks to the edge of another pit. He kneels with a small bouquet flowers in his hand. He whispers "I love you, Alice."

The Land Rover exits, black some still rising from the pit.

000

At the Bridge that connects the island to the mainland, Henry sits. Waits. It is so silent, the air incredibly still. No movement, no sound, nothing. Henry can't bear it. He erupts with frustration, screams at the sky.

000

At a cemetery, later in the day, the fences and gates of the cemetery look like Fort Knox. More barbed wire and evidence of conflict. Signs read**: ENTRY FORBIDDEN! ABSOLULTEY NO ENTRY PAST THIS POINT BY ORDER OF CANADA'S NATIONAL GUARD. TRESPASSERS SHOT ON SIGHT.**

The land rover waits outside a heavily fortified gate. Henry carries a huge circle of keys and uses one to open a padlock and chain.

Many graves have been dug up, many vaults ripped down. Others carry BIOHAZARD warning labels. The Land Rover stops at a beautiful tomb guarded by statues of angels. The door to its interior locked and chained. Henry waits. It's difficult for him, whatever he's about to do.

000

The door cracks open and Henry uses all of his weight to push it in. The light fills the crypt, illuminating dead flowers on a stone casket. Followed by the dog, Henry enters, collects the old flowers and lays fresh ones in their places. He kneels, shuts his eyes and silently prays; "it was my birthday yesterday, Erika, 30, You wouldn't recognize me, sweetie—I'm in better shape today than I was when we got married. Alice's birthday is next month, isn't it? She would've been 5. That's a big birthday for a kid," he can barely continue "I miss you Erika, I miss you so much." He whispers.

000

_**FLASHBACK**_

_A beautifully decorated, sun filled room. Erika Foss, a pretty gentle woman, lies in bed, half-awake, in his bathrobe, reads the morning paper; "did you hear about this guy?"_

"_What guy?" she asks him as she watches him read. _

"_Doctor Gregory Magnus at the Sanctuary. _

"_What about him?" _

"_This is really interesting," he was doing it unpurpose. _

"_Would you tell me already?" she laughs. _

"_The Magnus' Akhkharu" he laughed "sounds like something you'd buy from an infomercial," he reads from the article "a simple Hemocyte…"_

"_What's a Hemocyte?"_

"_A blood cell" he answers then continues to read "which has been genetically altered and adhered to a virus," he explains "they started with the lung cells a couple of years ago, but Magnus' working with blood—on leukemia," he reads "the altered cell—the Akhkharu—is injected into the blood stream where it destroys all cancerous cells and, by utilizing the properties of a virus, replaces them with healthy cells. It eats disease and makes you healthy, Doctor Magnus, states that, in theory, use of Akhkharus could be applies to HIV, other forms of cancer, damaged nerves, blindness—virtually any ailment."_

_Erika frowned "let me get this straight, Genetic engineering and viruses?"_

"_The properties of a virus—I guess so it can multiply and grow throughout the blood stream. But they disable it somehow, so it's not harmful. This is amazing! And they buried it on page 12."_

"_I don't know, Henry, it sounds dangerous."_

"_Erika…"_

"_All of these so called scientific breakthroughs. Playing with the building blocks of life. As a race, do you think we can catch up? I mean, we're back here, and they're twenty miles down the road."_

"_It could cure cancer. All forms of cancer." _

_She bit her lip and responded sadly "maybe there is supposed to be cancer. Does anyone think about that? What if there's a reason? What if…All this goes against God's plan?"_

"_I thought God's plan as simple, to love each other, Erika. To lend a helping hand to someone in need to care for one another. Compassion."_

"_Henry, you're an idealist. You always have been."_

"_I have hope. You can never lose hope." _

"_Mommy?" Alice, their daughter appears in the door way, "I don't feel good today."_

"_Oh, come here, sweetie," Alice joins them in bed. Erika hugs her close and Henry finishes the article in the paper and joins them. _

_He leans over and whispers in Erika's ear "I'm going to see him. This Doctor Magnus."_

000

Henry stands he is dispassionate, almost militaristic in his movements. He collects the dead flowers and exits.

Henry locks the outer gate, climbs into the Land Rover and drives away, the sun and hour or two away from setting.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Cracking

Henry secures the house for the evening. Fills generators with gasoline, checks power connections, repairs the hole in the inner fence, loads weapons, et cetera; he barely touches his dinner as the dog devours its bowl of fresh chow.

The sun's last rays shine through the window slits. Henry washes dishes. The dog glances at "the doggie door" leading outside and Henry tells him "Not tonight, you can stay in tonight."

The dog happily follows him to the video monitor/computer station. Henry checks the screens—no activity yet. He sits behind the computer and looks at a chess program—a game already in play he analyzes the board, but is distracted.

000

He goes through the archives of video tapes; Henry sits up in bed, the dog at the foot, on the floor, watching TV. Guns in close proximity. A videotape plays John Ford's THE LOST PATROL. A small group of British soldiers cracking under the pressure of attack by superior force of Arabs.

Henry's seen it many times. Too many times. He's seen all his favorites too many times. He gets bored with it, stops the tape, returns to the archives and moves to another. He hesitates. Wanting to play certain tapes, and desperately not wanting to play them. He gives in, selects one, and moves to the DVD player.

000

_Images play on the TV in front of him, they are home movies of Erika and daughter (3 years old here) washing the car in the back yard. Both wear bathing suits and are having a terrific time with the water and soap suds. Erika turns on the hose on the camera, "Hey! This thing costs a lot of money!" It is Henry's voice from behind the camera, the video camera ducks out of the way and we see Henry's bare feet. Typical home movie shenanigans. He refocuses on his wife. she looks quite lovely in her bikini. _

"_How come we're doing all the work?" Erika asked _

"_Yeah, how come?" Little Alice asked her daddy "I think you should wash the car daddy!" she giggled. _

"_Uh-uh. Mommy and I made a bet and she lost." _

"_You cheated!" Erika laughed_

Henry is sitting on the edge of his bed, haunted by the images of his family. Haunted by his vibrant little girl, mesmerized by his wife's vitality, her beauty;

Inside the house we hear the giggles of Alice, the laugher of Erika, but it's starting to mix with the mournful chanting and the slow rhythmic drumming and the ghostly cries of outside: "Henry…Henry…"

Henry shuts his eyes and covers his ears; the dog goes to the balcony, demurely barks a reminder. Henry looks out. In the distance, in the darkness, the Hemocytes continue to mournful wail. Henry slam shut the steel shutters.

000

Henry moves to an alcove containing a ham radio setup, dons headphones and juices up the system. He scans and listens. Nothing. The static and dead air, however, blocks out the cries of the Hemocytes. Henry switches to the emergency frequency and leans into his microphone "Old City KDX-CFY-CA-1971335. Old City KDX-CFY-CA 1971335," he listens, he's done this far too many times. Tried too many times. But still, he listens "Old Ci-"he stops. What was that? He turns up the volume, is that a human voice? Unintelligible, static. What did it say? Was it 'help me?' what was it? He adjusts the scanner, cranks the volume. It's gone. Just like that, it's gone. Was it even there? "Hello? Please…" Static. _There was nothing, you're cracking up!_ Henry rips the headphones from his ears and throws them; "there was nobody. Nobody."

He looks up at the monitors, the Hemocytes. The chanting very loud now. Henry screams: "Leave me alone! For God's sake!" Manically, he runs upstairs, grabbing a handgun on the way.

000

He runs up to the roof top in the middle of the night and indiscriminately fires the pistol "leave me alone!" he screams he futilely empties the clip. The Hemocytes collectively hiss. He throws the gun into the compound and falls to his knees, he cradles his head in his hands "Dear Jesus, Why? Please. Why?" he sobs.

000

Henry secures the hatch and collapses onto his bed. The dog sadly approaches. Softening greatly, Henry lays his hand on the dog. His eyes move to the photo of Erika.

000

Somewhere nearby the Hemocytes stand hand in hand in mournful vigil, Adam Worth stood with them cursing the name of Henry Foss "The blood is on your hands Foss! You are the murderer…Try to sleep tonight. Try. Remember the faces of those you killed! We will never forget. And one day, you will pay. I promise you that! There will be retribution!" he promised.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13- Caught.

Henry drives the Land Rover out of the compound, his eyes are hidden by dark sunglasses, a quiet, solemn Henry cruises the deserted city streets.

City Hall is in ruins, the federal building blown to bits. The library has suffered damage, but the structure is still intact. Henry, with a loop of wire in hand, sets another snare on a lamp post and keeps a watchful eye on the surrounding buildings.

_What was that? Did something move? Nothing, Nothing, Hank._

The Land Rover stops near the bridge. Henry looks around, Cars are over turned, burned, rusting, and boats in the harbor are ravaged and sunken.

000

Henry has strung a series of five traps along the street. He's working on his sixth when he realizes he won't have enough wire. He returns to the Land Rover, pets the dog, and sets his machine gun on the roof of the vehicle. He removes the Kevlar vest and his shirt. It's hot today. He drinks from a bottle of water, grabs a fresh spool of wire, and returns to the post. He arranges and sets the wire and prepares to bait it when he stops. Absolutely

dead stops.

Movement. About half a block away. He locates the source of the sound and sees something in one of the abandoned buildings. Henry reaches for his machine gun.

But it's not there. It's on the fucking roof of the Land Rover. The dog is hyper-alert. He heard it, too. Keeping his eyes glued on the abandoned building, Henry moves toward the vehicle...

The dog barks a warning, but it's too late...

Henry has stepped into the snare of his own trap!

SNAP! The wire whips taught jerking Henry off his feet. He smacks his head on the asphalt as the wire pulls up. The snare locks into place and Henry hangs above the street, upside-down, his head about three feet from the surface. The ALL-IN-ONE-TOOL falls from his pocket. He reaches for it, but it's already on the street.

The dog barks and barks. Panicked, afraid, scolding. Henry is so pissed at himself. The wire cuts deep into his ankle. Blood drips to the street. He's a little dazed, but Henry's desperately trying to maintain clarity the dog circles below, barking and whimpering. Henry breathes deeply, gauges his surroundings. _What to do?!_ And then he realizes why the dog is so frantic.

The sun is setting.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Too Late

As if on cue, his electronic pocket watch sounds its alarm.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

The color drains from Henry's face. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. Henry angrily throws the watch down the street. The dog continues to bark his warnings.

"Shut up! You don't think I know?!" he growls and the dog backs off, circles the area, sniffs. Whimpers and growls transforms into a defensive posture.

There are sounds of movement in a nearby building. Henry hears it and looks at the sky. _about thirty, forty minutes before sunset. Damn!_ He calms himself. _Can't panic, absolutely cannot panic._ He tries reaching for the wire, to pull himself up, but it's just beyond his reach, the strain too great. He remembers his knife in the ankle sheath. Pulls it and hacks at the wire. No good. It would never cut through. He tucks the knife back into the sheath and thinks. CRASH! Something falls and breaks in one of the shops. More movement. The dog reacts, barks and runs to check it out; "No! Stay!"

Henry can do nothing. The dog's gone. _Must act quickly._ Although it makes the wire cut deeper into his ankle, Henry swings back and forth, making his body a pendulum. Reaches for the post. Misses. Swings back. Forth and grabs it and Holds on for dear life. In an impressive feat of strength and dexterity, he twists and pulls himself up the post, to the overhang bar, and crawls along it, even though the tension it creates on the wire is shredding his ankle.

Henry desperately tries to untangle the snare. His fingers can't quite do the trick, so he pulls the knife and uses it to saw into the cable.

A howl from within a building.

Henry glances in the direction of the sound. Just as the blade succeeds in slicing through enough of the wire, it weakens and snaps! Releasing an unprepared Henry. He falls and lands hard on the asphalt. A bone breaks in Henry's wrist but that's the least of his worries.

He landed on the knife. It's sticking straight through the meat of his thigh.

He screams in pain! Reaches for it, but that arm has a broken wrist-and that's agony! He rolls to his side, feels for the handle with his good hand and psyches himself up for what must be done. He pulls the blade, screams, and passes out.

The image loses focus...fades… Silence.

000

Things slowly come back to Henry they are unfocused, but are gaining sharpness...There is a wet sound, the dog licks Henry's face and pokes him urging him to consciousness. When Henry awakens...

IT IS NIGHT.

The look of terror on his face is unmistakable. The dog whimpers, prods him, begging him to move. A small pool of blood has collected around Henry's thigh and ankle. His broken wrist is swollen and he has a bad bump on his forehead. He coughs, spits, and raises his head...

The atmosphere of the Embarcadero has changed. Gone is the deadness and silence-replaced by sounds. Some far off, some close by. Activity. There is life. Some kind of life. The dog's defenses are way up. He sniffs and growls.

The Land Rover is about fifty feet away. Such a short distance, but now, for Henry, in this condition, it is more like fifty miles. He examines his wrist, his ankle. The blood has coagulated and he looks to the thigh. He rips part of his shirt into a tourniquet. It's difficult to work with the broken wrist, but he manages to stop the bleeding. He tries to stand, but

that is a joke. The ankle is bad enough, but the thigh wound is just too deep-it can't take the pressure. He falls back to the asphalt and catches his breath. He finds the knife, clutches it in his fist-just in case-and begins to drag himself toward the Land Rover.

SOUNDS.

MOVEMENT.

All around him. Something-footsteps?-circling the area. Henry accelerates his pace. The dog viciously growls, BARKS! And then Henry hears it, too. SNARLING. HOWLS. Not footsteps. Paws on pavement.

Henry knows what's coming and it terrifies him. Again, he tries to stand, but falls hard onto the street. He drags himself toward the vehicle, and his dog begins to circle, barking, urging him to move faster. Henry stops when he sees the first one...

A black dog. A Hemocyte dog, standing on top of a pile of rubble. Watching him with icy grey eyes. The beast's fangs are bared-long, sharp, vicious things. It assesses Henry and his dog. It barks and howls.

Henry's about twenty feet from the Rover. He remembers the machine on the roof and yells at his dog "The Gun! Get the gun!" But this isn't Lassie and the poor thing has no idea what Henry means, "Get the fucking gun!" No use. Henry presses on, dragging his wounded body toward the Land Rover. Holds tightly to the knife when he sees...

Five more dogs; there is a Dane, Boxer, Brown, White and Grey. All muscular, sharp-

fanged, and icy-eyed. They snarl and sniff, calmly waiting, gauging their

best attack...The dog moves in close to Henry, guarding. Henry fears the worst. Hits the dog with his arm, instructing him..."Go! Run! Get the hell out of here!" The dog doesn't move "Go! You stupid thing! Go!" he argued with it, but the dog will not leave him. And the attack begins.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Gone to the dogs

Black barks and three rush in. Henry's dog meets Brown, immediately engaging in combat. Henry knows his dog is doomed, but can't think about that now. The other two are upon him! He lashes out with the knife, ripping White open along the ribcage. The beast yelps and retaliates and bites into Henry's thigh. Henry screams- And knees White with the opposite leg. Grey bites into Henry's broken wrist. The pain is unimaginable, but

Henry stabs Grey in the chest. Again and Again. Blood bursts from Grey's heart and the dog dies. Henry spins to see White in the air, pouncing, eyes on Henry's jugular...But the beast is broadsided by Henry's dog! Battered and bleeding, he fights with a proud ferocity. Henry sees the badly wounded Brown coming, licking blood from Grey to gain strength. As his dog engages in struggle with White, Henry sees Boxer and Dane move in.

And Henry knows there is only one chance. Summoning every ounce of strength and adrenaline in his body, he rises to his feet and emits a guttural, primordial scream.

Grimacing, denying the pain, he moves to the Land Rover, forcing his fragile limbs forward.

As Henry's dog and White engage in a brutal dance, Brown-rushing on the fresh blood-sets his sights on human prey. Henry makes it to the Land Rover. He rests against it-just for a moment-then reaches up and grabs the machine gun. He turns. Just in time to see Brown coming at him.

Henry opens fire and Brown is ripped in half. Henry whistles and his dog breaks away from White. Henry shoots White, and then sprays bullets at the oncoming Boxer and Dane. The automatic weapon fire has the desired effect and the two beasts—sufficiently intimidated-run away.

Henry and his dog relax for a moment, then, almost simultaneously, realize they have forgotten about the leader, the Black. Who erupts from behind, knocking Henry to the ground. The Black is about to devour human neck when Henry's dog bites into Black's hindquarters. The Black yelps, spins, and locks its jaws onto the dog's neck – Henry screams "nooooooo!" Henry smacks the Black with the butt of the machine kicks him away, and opens fire emptying the clip into the hellish thing. Until it falls. Dead.

Henry checks his dog. The poor thing is bleeding badly. Fueled by desperation and conviction, Henry lifts the dog and deposits him in the Rover. Now well beyond pain-transcendent, really-Henry shuts the doors, climbs behind the wheel, and gets the hell away.

000

Henry drives in darkness, one hand comforting the dog "it's okay, boy. You're gonna be okay."

000

In a surrounding area outside of Henry's house the Hemocytes on their nightly vigil. Worth observes Henry's house. The lights are off. No music, no signs of activity within. Curious. A trap? Perhaps not. Worth leaps off the promontory and leads his followers across the barren landscape, toward the outer fence.

000

Henry looks ahead, observing the terrain. He's about half a mile away from home and can see the Hemocytes surrounding the compound. He stops the vehicle and turns to the dog "I'm going to get us home," he promised; Henry exits, opens the trunk, straps on two shoulder holsters with fully loaded automatics and grabs two more clips for the machine gun. He takes a Jerry can of gasoline, a rag, and quickly manufactures a king-size Molotov cocktail.

With its lights still off, the Land Rover slowly moves up the hill and violently accelerates.

000

The Hemocytes furthest from the fence have no time to race to the speeding, armor-plated Rover heading straight at them.

Henry hits a series of switches, a burst of light appears, not just from the lamps, but from a rack of lights on the roof, two high-beam lamps mounted near the side mirrors, and four lights rigged near the trunk.

The Hemocytes screech and retreat. A few react like deer, frozen, and the Land Rover just plows through them. Near the fence Adam Worth reacts. He sees the Rover roaring toward him and realizes Henry is outside the compound! He stands at the gate—the only way into the compound and bellows "stop him!"

Henry maintains focus. His eyes stay fixed ahead. He sees the warriors forming a wall in front of the gate. Takes a deep breath and stops the Land Rover.

The Hemocytes form a circle around the vehicle. The light blinds them and scorches their skin, but they must take advantage of this opportunity, they must get Henry!

Henry readies the machine gun, undoes a ceiling bolt.

A hatch opens on the roof of the Rover and Henry pops up. He sprays the machine gun fire in a circle, keeping the Hemocytes at bay. Intense fires at the warriors barring the gate. Henry crawls out father, rests the machine gun, and pulls out the Jerry can. Two brave Hemocytes rush the Land Rover and smash side lamp and headlamp, and crawl towards Henry.

He pulls a side arm and shoots dead shots in their hearts. Henry takes a lighter from his utility belt as more Hemocytes move toward the Rover; Henry spots them, lifts the machine gun. Fires, keeping them back momentarily. He tries to light the rag in the jerry can, but his hand isn't working well and the lighter slips down the windshield. Henry curses, crawls out and reaches for the lighter…


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Trying to get home

Henry's arm is grabbed by a Hemocyte, Imogene, they lock eyes and she smiled and talons emerge from her fingertips.

Henry's weak hand fumbles for a side arm and pulls the trigger, A bullet rips through Imogene's shoulder, sending her back, spinning off of the vehicle, Henry snatches the lighter, ignites the rag and throws the jerry can at the gate; it lands with a thud. Henry fires the machine gun and a bullet rip into the can and BLAM! Fireball! At least a dozen warriors are roasted. They stumble away, screeching.

Adam Worth knows what Henry has in mind and hurriedly leads a charge at the Land Rover.

Henry drops into the driver's seat, he reaches up to close the hatch and sees the face of a Hemocyte, he fires, the shattered Hemocyte face disappears from view and Henry shuts the hatch and presses the remote control.

000

The gate slides open, halfway to the Land Rover, Worth realizes that he's made an error; "back! Inside! Inside!" he changes the direction of the charge as the rover roars through the fire, six Hemocytes manage to jump on the vehicle as it speeds into the compound and abruptly stops, its rear lamps shine on the open gate.

Henry hits the remote, the gate starts to shut, Adam Wroth and his warriors run to it, the hatch on the roof of the Land Rover flips open, Henry emerges with the machine gun in hand. First, he blasts three of the Hemocytes clinging to the Rover, (the other three are smarter and hang onto the sides of the vehicle, out of Henry's field of vision.)

Henry sprays the gate with the machine gun fire, keeping Worth and the Hemocytes at bay. Henry can only urge the gate to move faster "come on! Come on!" he tries and empties one clip, and loads the last of the three, takes a few more shots, and then relaxes when the gate is shut.

000

Henry accelerates, shuts the hatch and hits another remote; the other gate-for the inner fence—slides open, as does the door to the garage, revealing the sloping driveway leading underground. The land Rover roars over the moat, the three Hemocytes still holding on as the Rover descends.

The rover screeches to a stop, almost crashing into the wall, the overhead door starts to close, Henry checks the dog, comforts him, and almost opens the door. He stops when he faintly hears a scratching on the out shell of the vehicle.

000

The three Hemocytes quietly release their hold on the Land Rover and set food on the garage floor; they look to each other and devilishly smile.

000

Henry checks the video screens they are there; "were you fellas Boy Scouts? You know what they say about Boy Scouts" He flicks on another remote. The three Hemocytes barely have time to notice the halogen lamps lining the walls to the room before they burst on. The creatures screech with pain, sunglasses covering his eyes, Henry calmly opens his door, steps out, and proceeds to exterminate the three pests; quick machine gun bursts to the hearts of one and two, when the clip runs out, a pistol for the third "Be prepared," as they lay dying, Henry shuts off the wall lamps, opens the passenger door, and gently carries out the wounded dog.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – morphine dreams until dawn

Henry deposits the dog on an exam table. How can he stand the pain?! His body shimmers with sweat from exertion, his eyes barely open, barely conscious. After making sure the dog is stable, he tends to his own wounds. _Can't help the dog 'til you help yourself._ He goes to a cabinet and injects himself with a small dose of morphine to eliminate the pain. To keep himself alert, he sniffs a capsule of Amyl Nitrate, and then injects himself with an Antibiotic.

He takes a scalpel and cuts open his pants leg. The thigh is damn bad. He cleans it-which stings like a mother-bandages it, then releases the tourniquet. _God, it hurts!_ He thinks about another shot of morphine, but he must stay conscious. He painfully removes his boots and cleans and bandages the ankle. Now the wrist. Swollen, throbbing. He feels the tendon, the bones, locates the affected section. He readies a splint, some tape, and more amyl nitrate.

And then, amazingly, Henry sets his own broken bone. The pain is intense. He nearly passes out, but manages to crack open another capsule of amyl nitrate. He applies the splint and tape. It's sloppy, but it does the job.

Henry turns to the dog. He injects the poor thing with a strong dose of morphine, knocking him out. He cleans and bandages, making sure bleeding has stopped, but he knows, that these wounds are deep and serious. Henry watches the dog's sad eyes as the morphine kicks in. He leans in and pets his faithful companion; "They will not have you. I promise."

Henry moves to the central security panel, he switches on the monitors, boots up the computers and flicks switches, lights light up on the roof, along the fence, in the compound, everywhere, lights at maximum power.

000

The Hemocytes react to the shock of illumination; they scurry for cover, for pockets of shadows and darkness. Adam Worth defiantly stands near the gate, at the fallen bodies of his soldiers. He screams a fierce cry of anger as his skin sizzles from exposure to the light, Thelo runs to his side and pulls him to safety.

Behind the wall of rubble Worth and Thelo join Imogene and the others, the groups appears dispirited, disillusioned. Others are angry, ready to attack; "how many are inside?"

Thelo shrugged, not entirely sure "a half dozen?"

"And the others?"

"All together? 20 dead," he sighed "our numbers dwindle and we lose strength. Perhaps it is time for change. Time to move on. HE is just one man," he pleaded.

"After what he has done? The blood he spilled? All the souls taken? We must never cease, we—all of us—can never change. Not if change means allowing Foss freedom, life. That cannot be." He looks at the wounded and the dead "But you are right about one thing, Thelo that must change. We have lost too many. Henry's death will come, of that I am certain, but it cannot come at the expense of our lives. No more." He turned to his followers "He will not have that pleasure. But Henry will pay. We will feast on his flesh and drink his blood!"

000

Henry manages to pull himself into the crow's nest. He's armed to the teeth- ready for an onslaught. He raises a rifle to his eyes and looks through the scope, "all right, Worth, come on."

There is no one there. He scans the area around the fence, there's one, two...A few. But their backs are turned and they're walking away. No chants, no drumming, silence. Defeat. Is he grateful? Astonished? Or disappointed?

000

Henry hobbles over to the exam table and turns his attention to the unconscious dog. He stitches and disinfects—as if this were the most important medical procedure ever performed. He will not let this dog die. He lifts one of the dog's eyelids and despises what he sees: A faint grayness to the iris.

Henry searches for something near the arsenal, he finds a heavy kennel cage/carrier on the floor. He puts a child's blanket within, and then places the dog inside. Strangely, he chains and bolts the cage to the floor and walls; he gives the dog a sad, knowing look and exits.

In the living room, Henry sits himself in a chair, checks his wounded legs, and loads another shot of morphine. He injects himself and finally, mercifully, he sleeps.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Dawn

It is dawn again, but it's not the risen sun that wakes Henry, it's the Clang! Clang! That wakes Henry from his drug-induced slumber. Instant pain! His leg and wrist are throbbing!

Clang! Clang! The noise from the medical facility. He lowers his legs, when the blood returns to them, the pain intensifies, and Henry administers another low-level shot of morphine, gets to his feet and hobbles toward the sound.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The dog is not happy about being in a cage, he barks at Henry when he enters and Henry prepares a sedative and carefully injects it into the dog.

000

In the garage, Henry switches off the power for the exterior lights, hits the switch for the overhead door and remembers the Hemocytes he encountered here last night; he steps to the Land Rover, there, on the floor are one, two corpses. Both are completely drained of blood. _There were three. Where's the third? _

Henry turns and sees the third Hemocyte standing before him. Mouth red. Body gorged on blood. Death lust in his evil eyes.

Henry is so tired and doesn't have a gun! _Thank God for the sun!_ As the Hemocyte makes his move, the overhead door slides open and Henry backs up the ramp, into the light as it cuts into the room and descends upon the horrified Hemocyte, the creature's skin blackens and blisters and with a disturbing intensity, Henry grabs the Hemocyte by the throat and drags him up the ramp and into the harsh sunlight and tosses him into the compound like a bag of trash "leave me alone," he is more than exhausted.

000

Henry carries out the morning's grim task: gathering the corpses of the Hemoctyes killed last night. Because of his weakened state, he builds a pyre in the moat and adds the one that just finished off. _So sick of it. Just sick of it all. _

000

The Rover heads out of the city, crossing the bridge. The land Rover speeds through the ravaged, desolate college town and veers towards The Sanctuary, the grounds look like the scene of a war. Not a riot, a war. It is perhaps even bleaker than anything in the city. The Land Rover heads past of a group of dead buildings, buildings which hold a terrible secret. The sign simply reads: The Sanctuary.

Spray-painted over the sign is one word: ARMAGEDDON!

The Rover stops and Henry hobbles to the bunker-like structure, dragging a portable generator. Adorning the exterior wall is a logo; it's a circle with a spiraling line cutting through the center. The "mark" of Adam Worth and his followers.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 –Inside The Sanctuary

The lobby once saw awful carnage, dried blood cakes the walls as do scorch from fires, bullet holes are so plentiful, they create and odd 'mural.' More significantly, there is something ominous about this place. The serpent's lair in the Garden of Eden. Or Satan's throne room in hell.

Henry wheels the generator to a thick metal door. Impenetrable. He removes a panel from the floor and accesses a bundle of electrical wires. He fires up the generator and attaches feed connection to the bundle; he attaches a bypass circuit and punched in his own code: A-L-I-C-E

The mammoth door hisses, groans and eventually opens as if responding to an occult charm.

000

Henry steps into the first room of a large genetics lab. There are numerous rooms, each color and number coded, i.e. DNA STORAGE - ORANGE 7. The colors and ratings correspond to germ-free environments, biohazard conditions, et cetera. Amazingly, much of the interior of the Sanctuary is clean and in working order. But there are hints of disaster and violence-a bullet hole here, a blood spatter there.

Henry deposits the dog cage outside a room labeled ANIMAL RESEARCH LAB - RED 9 and walks to a LOWER LEVEL ROOM-ELECTRICAL - BLUE 5. He opens a panel and finds circuit breakers labeled EMERGENCY GENERATORS and switches them on.

Throughout the facility, overhead lights flicker to life. The empty sterile rooms gleam with an antiseptic sense of dread. - he looks in the doors to see some of the room, mostly the ones labeled: BLOOD LAB - RED 9. AUDIO VISUAL - GREEN 2. VIRUS STORAGE - RED 10.

000

In the audio visual room there are shelves filled with video tapes. Henry finds the Animal testing section and selects a handful of cassettes.

000

In the animal lab there are Empty cages. Surgical tables. Microscopes. A VCR and TV an A/V CART sit in the corner. Henry pops in a cassette labeled TEST RESULTS/DOMESTIC ANIMALS/MAGNUS 5/12/98. Sits in a chair, elongates his legs, and watches as the TV plays, on the TV screen we see the face of Dr. Gregory Magnus. An intelligent, passionate face now panicked and deadened. His eyes have seen great disappointments. And even greater horrors. He speaks to a camera which he runs himself; he speaks "The Akhkharu appears to have no discernible impact on birds. When injected into subjects, no matter the size of the dosage, the result was death. No mutation. The same results with fish and reptiles." He sounds grave as he continues "We had no such luck with the feline, canine, and rodent hosts. All accepted the Akhkharu, all mutated. The mice and rats exhibited no hostility when infected, nor did the cats, not really. Their predatory instincts were there, yes, but they maintained a more calculated, cunning approach to...feeding. The dogs... sadly, they...We saw the most alarming results with the dogs. The Akhkharu seems to bring out a savage instinct, a primal brutality that goes beyond mere survival," There is a beat, "Just like the humans."

The large image on the shows video footage of a German Sheppard dog in a strong metal Cage. The small image is footage taken through a microscope of the dog's Blood cells.

An LED read-out at the bottom of the screen shows date and time (5/4/98/6:20 a.m.) Magnus's voice provides commentary on one audio track, the sounds from the dog in the cage on the other. There will be abrupt cuts and jumps, the tape having been hastily prepared.

LARGE IMAGE: SCIENTISTS inject the dog. SMALL IMAGE: STRANGE NEW CELLS mix

with the others. (5/4/98/6:25 a.m.) – "Hemocyte viral genetic agent introduced into normal canine circulatory system."

LARGE IMAGE: the Shepherd is happy and playful. SMALL IMAGE:

The strange cells appear to be gobbling up select others. (5/4/98/7:02 p.m.) – Gregory Magnus continues to deliver commentary "Just over twelve hours. The Akhkharu has eliminated any diseased or unhealthy cells in the host."

LARGE IMAGE: the Shepherd is lethargic, depressed. SMALL IMAGE: The strange cells are eating healthy red blood cells. (5/4/98/11:10 p.m.) "Sixteen hours. The Akhkharu turns to healthy blood cells for fuel."

LARGE IMAGE: the shepherd is magnificently healthy. Very active. Hyper-alert. He glows with remarkable strength. An eerie blue-grayness in its eyes. Its fangs appear sharper, more savage. SMALL IMAGE: Fresh blood is introduced and we see the strange cells grow and multiply. (5/5/98/l:38 a.m.) "One liter of transfused blood introduced into canine system. The Akhkharu feeds and multiplies at a rate of .25 percent per minute. Multiplication rate increases exponentially to amount of blood injected into host. Note increases in muscle strength, bone mass, pulse, adrenaline flow."

LARGE IMAGE: the Sheppard is weak, emaciated, irritable and hostile. He barks and lunges at the scientists near his Cage. SMALL IMAGE: The strange cells are desperately searching for blood cells, devouring them like candy. (5/7/98/2:00 a.m.)"Akhkharu consumes blood at an astonishing rate. If more blood is not introduced, the subject parish." It continues on like this.

LARGE IMAGE: the Sheppard is dying. An awful blackness in its eyes. SMALL IMAGE: the strange cells have eliminated all healthy blood cells. They move anxiously, searching, desperate to survive. They lose momentum and cease movement. (5/7/98/3:33 p.m.) "No additional blood has been given to the host, subject terminates."

It freaks Henry out how clinical Gregory Magnus was being about this whole thing.

LARGE IMAGE: The dog's dead form lies motionless. A scientist carefully injects it with blood. SMALL IMAGE: fresh blood cells swim past the dead cells. They flicker to life. (5/9/98/4:24 p.m.)"no heart, respiratory, or brain functions in forty-eight hours. Fifty CCS's of blood injected into expired host."

LARGE IMAGE: the Shepherd's limbs TWITCH with life. The blue-grayness returns

To its formerly lifeless eyes "Reanimation occurs in 15.6 seconds."

LARGE IMAGE: the Sheppard snaps at the surveillance camera it bares its fangs and snarls.

Henry abruptly stops the tape. He moves to the dog's cage and unhinges the door. The dog is still sedated and Henry locates a syringe and draws blood He places a drop on a glass slide and examines it under a microscope. He rewinds the videotape in search mode and freezes it so he can compare the Small screen image to what he sees under the microscope.

The dog is still in the first stage. Henry notes the LED readout-5/4/98/7:02 p.m.). He Fast forwards it in search mode and stops on the image of the lethargic, depressed, hostile Shepherd. (5/4/98/11:10 p.m.). Sadly realizes how little time he has.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – The meeting with Doctor Gregory Magnus

The name plate on the door reads "Dr. Gregory Magnus" and Henry glances at the mementos on the desk, awards—and on the wall: diplomas, certificates, and a photo of the entire staff at the sanctuary. Standing among the distinguished gentlemen and ladies is Henry Foss.

_Flashback:_

_Dr. Magnus escorts a visitor into his office and offered a chair, Henry sits opposite Magnus. Looking every bit the professor in the tweed jacket and the corduroys, Henry smiles "Thanks for seeing me Doctor Magnus." _

_Magnus looks pleased with himself and is energetic despite being and older gentlemen "we don't get too many visitors from the technology department; we met at the Christmas party didn't we?"_

"_Yeah, your daughter Helen introduced us." _

"_That's right."_

"_Listen, I know you're busy, so I'll get right to it. The work you're doing with the leukemia – from what I read in the paper, it seems to me the same principles could apply to other forms of cancer." _

"_Absolutely" Gregory nodded "we chose leukemia because, well, if we can do it with blood, we can do it with just about anything in the body. Once we tackle the rest…" he doesn't say anything about his daughter Helen having it. . _

"_The lymph system?"_

"_Down the line, yes." _

"_How far down the line?" _

_Gregory takes off his glasses, "what seems to be the problem, Mr. Foss?" _

"_Six months ago, my daughter Alice was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer." _

"_How old is she?" _

"_Three almost four," he pleads "if you could see her."_

"_I'd be happy to recommend someone, but there's really nothing I can do." _

"_Please?"_

_Magnus' secretary pops her head in "the 'nightline' crew is here."_

"_Have them set up in the lab, Imogene, Oh! And let Declan know they are here" _

"_Right."_

_She exits and Henry can't help but feel rejected. _

"_I'm going to be on T.V tonight." Magnus scribbles a name and number on a piece of paper and gives it to Henry; "Doctor Ravi Ganapathiramani, he's the best pediatric oncologist I know. Make sure you tell him I referred you." _

"_We have a doctor." _

"_I see, well if you'll excuse me, Mr. Foss," he gets up to show Henry the door. _

"_Sure."_

_Doctor Gregory Magnus hurries to the lab, Henry stands outside the office and crumples the piece of paper in his fist. Through a glass partition, Henry can see the glimpse of a patient. _

_It is Adam Worth. Healthy. Human. _

End flash back

000

Henry offers a bowl of food to the dog, but it is uninterested. Henry tries a dish of water. No reaction. The dog sadly curls up in a corner of the cage.

Henry examine a recent blood sample from the dog under the microscope, it is not a secret that the dog is getting worse.

000

Henry sits in the corner, on the floor, watching the dog slowly die. The poor thing is withering away to flesh and bone. Henry can't stand it. He rises, reaches for a gun, and aims at the dog's heart. His arm hangs there, Waiting.

The dog's pained eyes look to him... _Why?_ Henry cannot do it. Lowers the gun. And makes the decision. He takes a syringe and begins to withdraw blood from his own arm. He allows a catheter to pour the red liquid into a pan. when he's lost about half a pint, he stops the process, opens the cage door, places the dish inside, and locks it.

He cannot watch as the animal hungrily laps up the blood.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – Nightline and the cure.

Henry stands in the crow's nest, rifle nearby. He raises the night-vision binoculars to his eyes…nothing. No sign.

The dog. Forever changed. Rejuvenated by the blood. Possessing a new strength. It paces, gnaws at the bars, and growls at Henry. The ice grey-blue eyes of the dog do not see a friend, a master.

They see food.

The Dog howls something fierce; the dog's appetite is great. The hunger is painful and Henry curses himself for what he has done and slams shut the door.

000

Henry cranks Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, loudly, he sits down and things. He is nervous and concerned, suddenly he lurches to the stereo and shuts it off and is drawn to a stack of old video tapes. Most of them are labeled "Magnus", another handful: Worth.

A T.V screen flickers to life just as Henry puts the video tape in a VCR he still managed to make work after all these years of them being obsolete, sometimes they still worked better than the newer technology, Nightline with Ted Koppel appears and Henry stares, painful memories come to the surface.

"And this is 'nightline,' the world of medicine has seen its share of miracle cures, from polio vaccine to heart transplants. However, all past achievements may pale in comparison to the work of Doctor Gregory Magnus..." Henry Fast forwards the tape and he watches Magnus engage with Koppel.

"The process is simple. A blood cell is genetically engineered to incorporate the properties of a virus. When this Akhkharu is introduced into a diseased circulatory system, the new cells seek out the cancerous cells, destroy them and replace them with healthy cells.

"There is some concern, through, doctor. Because of the viral element."

"We need to use a powerful virus, yes, but the virus itself is made impotent. We simply utilize its essential characteristics—rapid duplication, molecular strength. This isn't really a virus. It's not contagious, it's not destructive."

Henry laughs and fast-forwards the tape, now the image involves Worth. He and Magnus are seated in the lab. Worth is the picture of vitality and health. Although a bit pale, he's muscular and charismatic.

"Joining us from the sanctuary is 'patient one' Mr. Adam Worth."

"Hello."

"Mr. Worth, one year ago, you were diagnosed with terminal cancer. Leukemia."

"That's correct."

"And today?"

"I'm cured. Thanks to Doctor Magnus, every blood cell in my body is 100% healthy. Better than before."

"Indeed, There have been rumours, doctor Magnus that your Akhkharu not only eliminates diseases but revitalizes the system as well."

"That is a positive side effect, yes."

"What other side effects are there?" Koppel asked

Worth cocks his head to the side and thinks about it "none, really, that…"

"Photosensitivity" Magnus reminds him.

"Oh! Yeah. The sun….my skin is really sensitive to light," Worth explains.

"Which has to do with the bloody supply…?" Magnus is cut off by Koppel.

"Yes and that brings up the harshest criticism of your work, Dr. Magnus. The tremendous amount of donated blood needed to pursue these experiments…"

"_He's very handsome," the voice of Erika behind Henry makes him turn around and suddenly he is back in his old bedroom, watching TV with Erika, their daughter Alice fast asleep in Henry's arms; Nightline still continues on in the background. _

"_Magnus?"_

"_No, silly" she giggles "the other one. The patient." _

"_He was there today, I saw him. He had scary eyes."_

"_Scary is attractive," she teased "Scary is attractive, don't you know anything?"_

000

The nightline tape has been replaced and now there is an in-house interview with Worth inside the Sanctuary, he is in a padded cell; the camera recording must have been behind a thick wall of Plexiglas, Worth stares at the lens. He is naked save for a pair of boxer shorts. His body is muscular, his extremely pale skin drenched in sweat, he is lost most of his hair and his eyes are ice. There is no other way to describe it. He is in a very agitated state. He stalks around the cell, occasionally pounding his fists against or head butting the Plexiglas wall.

You hear Magnus' disembodied voice being piped into the cell "Adam?" He slams his body into the wall as a response "Adam! Why don't you try to calm down?"

Adam rushes to the Plexiglas and sneers "Calm? CALM!? You want me to cam the fuck down?!" he screams and growls "You go to hell, Magnus. You go there and meet your maker!"

"Adam…"

"Give it to me!"

Something is being pushed through a sliding tray into the padded cell, inside Worth lunges for the contents of the drawer – a plastic packet of blood and a syringe.

"Please use the syringe this time, Adam."

Adam throw the needle and rips open the blood packet and drinks every drop, he licks the plastic clean and his mouthed his smeared with crimson, he placidly approaches the Plexiglas; "you don't understand doctor, it's the taste," he is lost in the reverie "I can feel it…feel it inside me..." he laughs "God! It' so beautiful…" The blood races through his veins, apparent to anyone watching the tape to the translucence of Worth's flesh: his muscles grow –pectorals, biceps; a transformation from man to superman. "You did this! You made me! I am the future Doctor Magnus! Live with that!"

000

There's a new video tape playing, there is a blaring alarm and flashing emergency strobe lights, from head to toe, Magnus is soaked with water. He clutches the computer print-outs, clears his throat and tries to must up his former pride and dignity "The latest estimates have it spreading to the rest of the country in six days. By the time it hits New York, ninety-five percent of the population of California will be infected. The fighting in the streets…bloodshed…I fear is nothing but a harbinger of the real battle yet to come," it's obvious that he is fighting back nausea "we have determined that exposure to sunlight, plasma starvation, oxygen deprivation, massive blood loss and severe damage to the heart are the only lethal means of stopping those…infected. Even so, cremation is the sole guarantee that reanimation will not occur," he wipes the moisture from his eyes, the alarm stop and somewhere behind the thick walls of the center the cries of the Hemocytes are heard.

"Magnus….Magnus…"

"Yes. Well. My latest blood test reveals I am in stage two of the disease; already my mind is beginning to deteriorate into fantasies of savagery. I feel the desire to feed, but I cannot bear the thought of it. Nor, can I bear the thought of…of Worth ripping me open. Gutting me. Feasting…" Magnus pulls something from his pocket, it's a lighter, and Behind Magnus is an empty gasoline can. It's not water that he is covered in, "God Forgive me," he ignites the lighter and his body bursts into flames.

000

Henry shuts off the TV; _why did I watch it again? Why do I torture myself?!_ He presses his fists to his temples and closes his eyes the dog howls again, it barks and moans "stop it! Stop!" Henry watches the security monitors, where are they? There is another howl. _Damn dog. _Henry storms the medical center, he looks like he could strangle the damned beast, but instead he leans up against the door and sighs "I'm sorry…"


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – Saying Goodbye

Henry fell asleep slumped against the medical enter door, all is quiet in the morning, but the silence is broken by a horrific cry of pain; Henry bolts awake and flings open the door.

A shaft of sunlight slices through the room to the cage. The dog desperately tries to stay away, but the light touches its tail and sizzles. The dog cries. Henry shoves the cage aside and covers the window with a blanket. He moves to tend to the dog, hut it snarls at him as he approaches.

The dog's body is thin and weak. Its eyes are blank, the tongue a sick, pasty white. Henry draws blood from himself, but places the packets in a refrigerator. The dog sees them, and it drives him mad with thirst.

He yelps and whines, begging for the blood, but Henry betray no emotion.

How could he torture the poor thing like this?

He walks the perimeter of the house; he eats breakfast, tends to the garden and repairs the Land Rover over the course of the day.

000

Henry enters the house at around 4:00 and is careful not to allow in any sunlight, he switches on a flashlight and its beam finds the dog inside the cage. Dead. This is what Henry expected. He covers the cage with a blanket and retrieves the blood from the refrigerator.

000

The land Rover drives over rough terrain, through an unpopulated, thickly wooded park area, and stops at Land's edge, overlooking the ocean.

Henry climbs out with the machine gun in hand and surveys the area the first reveals small animal tracks and up above, in the sky, are seagulls.

Henry can't believe it. He hasn't seen a bird in quite awhile. When they see him, however, they take flight, soaring out to the ocean.

Henry steps down onto the beach, to his right is a lighthouse and a pier, to his left, built into a hillside is a thick iron door and a weather beaten sign that reads "new city underground transit-maintenance tunnel."

000

At the lighthouse, Henry searches and comes up with nothing. Nothing lives here and when he reaches the top, Henry searches out at the majestic ocean, the sun beginning its descent, he looks down at the pier and spies and old tugboat moored there.

000

Henry takes a closer look when he gets down to the pier, apparently, the craft is still pretty seaworthy: _what of it, Hank? Just go…_

Henry removes the cage from the Rover and pulls off the blanket. He fills a syringe with his blood, takes the already-prepared packets and rests them on the ground. He looks at the dog's dead eyes and whispers "good bye," he opens the cage door, injects the beast with blood, then quickly runs to the Land Rover and locks himself inside.

He watches as the dog's body twitches back to life. It lifts its head and colour—the same icy blue-grey—returns to its eyes, they find Henry and he exchanges one last look with the dog, then speeds away. Unable to linger.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Wide Awake

Again Worth and the Hemocytes do not come and a forlorn Henry sits at the table, his dinner uneaten.

He watches the surveillance monitors. Nothing; he goes to bed, but is wide awake.

000

The next morning Henry stares at his half uneaten breakfast and in a sudden burst of violence, he swipes the food onto the floor.

000

Although it's the middle of the day, Henry lies in bed, eyes staring blankly ahead and gently rocking himself.

He stares at the religious icons, but they mean nothing to him.

000

During the day the Land Rover leaves the compound and the vehicle stops outside a decaying grocery store, He fills a satchel with bottles of different liquor – Scotch, wine, gin, vodka. _What the hell?_ He thinks as he grabs cigarettes, too.

000

Henry stands at the kitchen table. Fills a goblet with wine, a tumbler with scotch, and a martini glass with gin. The ritual is complete. Just one last step. Just go ahead... He lifts the tumbler of scotch to his lips.

Stops.

He returns it to the table and goes to the media center. Locates and plays a videotape. One of his "diary" tapes clearly made awhile ago. This Henry is pudgy, pasty, heavily bearded, and very drunk. He holds a pistol in one hand and a bottle of booze in the other.

The Henry on the tape starts speaking "nobody tells Henry Foss what to do! That's because there is nobody—not one damn body—to tell me anything!" he laughs "what the hell difference does it make, anyway, right? Most people are assholes or creeps or…people betray you, people criticize you, people steal from you. Who needs people?" He laughs harder "people who need people are the stupidest people in the world."

In the background on the tape voices are bellowing "Henry…"

"Shut up! Sonsofbitches!" he screams and fires madly at the walls, and hurls the bottle and it shatters "fuck. What'dja do that for, Hank? That was the last of the scotch. Stupid." He points the gun to his own temple, pulls the trigger, CLICK. Empty chamber. Henry breaks up with laughter – Henry shuts off the tape and stares at the blank screen.

Henry empties the bottles of liquor into the sink and goes to bed, he lies there in bed. Wide awake.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – time passes

Many of the fruits and vegetables are rotting, dirty dishes are piled in the sink and the shooting range is empty, the exercise equipment is unused, there is no wall of sound, no 'normalcy.'

Henry is still in bed, empty food wrappers and water bottles litter the floor, he stares at the photo of Erika and Alice, and he's been starting at it for days. Finally, before he can no longer take it anymore, he sits up, "get up, Hank, just get up."

000

The video camera sits before him, recording. Henry stars at the lens, words failing to come to his mouth and then: my name is Henry Foss; I was born in Dublin Ireland. I had a wife named Erika and a daughter named Alice, since this all happened, I've had a great many dogs. They're good scouts, good sentries. They were necessary. And disposable. But, this last one, he…he was a good dog. He seemed to…Alice would've liked him. It was my fault. My own stupid fault."


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 - contact

Disheveled and depressed, Henry wanders around the park and finds himself at Portals of the Past. Somewhat dazed, he sits on his usual bench. One of his old leaflets at his feet. He smirks at his desperate plea for contact then realizes something is written on the other side...

**WHERE ARE YOU HENRY?**

For a moment, he thinks he's going crazy. But no, it's there, right in front of him. And then he notices the entire beach is covered with leaflets. Crudely, quickly taped down. All bear variations of the same message...

**WHERE ARE YOU?**

He stands. Disbelieving. Exhilarated. Terrified. Suspicious. He rips the flyers from the bench, frantically gathering them. One which conveys a more detailed message...

**I HAVE TRIED FOR DAYS TO MEET YOU. WHERE ARE YOU,**

**HENRY? I AM ALONE AND NEED HELP. ARE YOU FOR REAL?**

Henry feels a shiver run through his body. He searches his pockets for something to write with and scrawls a reply...

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I should have been here every day. I will be **

**Here tomorrow, I will. 12 noon. When the sun is highest in the sky. I am real. I will help. I am here.**

He signs his name and tapes it to the bench: "I'm here!" he shorts "I'm here" he shouts again at the top of his lungs "I am here!" his voice echoes throughout the empty city.

000

Late that night, Henry is revitalized; but again, the area is devoid of Hemocyte activity.

Like a housewife preparing for company, Henry cleans the house from top to bottom. Changes bedding, washes clothes, tends to the garden. There's a manic energy to his activity. He's not entirely "all there." And then, when everything is clean, when the house sparkles, he turns to himself. He showers, shaves, clips his nails, washes his hair. Stares at himself in the mirror, smiling, and the smile fades as the moment of clarity prevails.

000

Near the firing range, Henry dismantles a thick wire door used for storage; he gathers some lumber, some metal plating and his tools. He dumps everything from the basement into the room and clears out the corner and gets to work.

Wearing a fresh outfit, bulletproof padding, and heavily armed, Henry climbs into the Land Rover.

000

Henry stakes out the surrounding area. Checks any place where someone might hide. Places motion detectors in a circle about two hundred feet surrounding the bench. Double checks his weapons and looks at his watch: 11:45 - He waits. Not sure what to expect. He rests an electronic device next to himself on the bench. It will alert him to anything that moves past the sensors.

11:55-The area surrounding the Bench is relatively free of clutter. A waste basket, rotting garbage, newspapers, etc.

12:01- Henry looks around. Already anxious. Clutches his machine gun. He does not hear or see the pile of rotting garbage move. He does not see a hand. He does not see a human figure emerge from a hole, dug into the ground behind the bench, a gun in its hand…

However, Henry does feel the barrel press into his neck.

"Don't move," the voice belongs to a woman, he does not panic, and he simply does as he is told "Now, real slow. Put the gun down;" Henry follows orders, the gun barrel fits snugly into the base of his skull, "well, well, well, I was beginning to think you were a fairy tale," she starts to move around him, the gun moves with her.

"Oh no. I'm real," and with the quickness of a cat, Henry ducks and backhands her hard. She fires a wild shot and Henry throws a punch, he squeezes her wrist until she releases her gun, Henry grabs it and pistol whips her in the forehead, knocking her out.

He stands. Finally able to look at his attacker. She's covered in filthy rags from head to toe. Henry pulls back the cloth covering her face although sheathed in dirt and grime, she is beautiful. Her flesh doesn't boil and blister in the sunlight. He brushes away her long dark hair. She can't be over twenty. She's still a kid.

Henry checks the area, the sensors. No, she's alone all right. He checks the hole and finds a full backpack. Grabs it, tosses it over his shoulder, lifts her in his arms, and carries her to the Land Rover.

000

The girl lies on an exam table, unconscious. Henry removes the filthy clothing, stripping her down to t-shirt and leggings. Can't let his eyes dwell on her breasts, her...

He washes her face and tends to her forehead. He prepares a syringe and when he looks for a vein, he sees track marks running up and down each arm. He moves to her backpack and dumps its contents. A few cans of food, rounds of ammunition, a flashlight, batteries, syringes and ampoules of Red Cross morphine. Henry shakes his head.

He takes the syringe and carefully withdraws a blood sample from a vein in her hand. Despite the long, dirt-encrusted fingernails, they are beautiful hands. Exquisite. He looks away. Takes the blood sample, injects it into a test tube, and places it in the centrifuge.

000

All is quiet, again and the Hemocytes fail to appear.

000

Henry sits at the table, eating dinner and looking at blood work through a portable microscope. From the Medical Center, we hear a rattling. Then a terrible scream. Henry expected this. He takes a plate of food from the stove.

Henry opens the door and he sees the girl is trapped inside a cage. Constructed last night by Henry specifically for this purpose. She is not happy. Like a rabid, feral animal, she rattles her cage and screams. He sets the plate of food on the counter and sits in a chair a few feet away from her. Calm. Cool. Waits for her to blow off steam.

"You hungry?"

"Let me out!"

"What's your name?"

"Go to hell! That's my name! Go. To. Hell."

He opens his hand revealing a vial of morphine and she stops "you're addicted?"

"That's mine."

"Your blood's full of this shit."

"Give it to me."

"But you're not infected, AB negative you're immune. Like me."

"I said that's mine. You have no right," apparently she likes to argue.

"That was pretty good, your little stunt in the park. Got the drop on me.

"I…"

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't sure. It coulda been a trick. You coulda been one of them. When they first get it, they can still take the sun. That's why I'm in here, right? You weren't sure about me, either."

"That's right."

"but…you have seen my blood. You know I'm okay, so let me out."

He grabs a sponge, soap and a bowl of water and places them and the food on the floor just outside the cage, "you should eat. And wash up you smell pretty bad."

"Fuck you."

He regards the morphine "do it and you get some of this."

"Give it to me NOW."

"This isn't a negotiation," he tells her calmly.

She lifts the bowl, soap and sponge and hurls it a Henry, he sidesteps as it shatters on the wall, and she lifts the food and throws it, splattering his shirt: "No! No! No! No! No! No! No!"

"Fine," he shrugs and he is reminded of Alice having a temper tantrum "we'll try this again a little later when you're feeling more…civil."

"Goddamn you! Go to hell!"

000

Outside of the room, Henry shuts the door, leans against it. Closes his eyes and covers his ears, trying not to be affected by her cries. He cannot let her see him like this. He cannot be weak. He must be in control.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 – Kate

Henry changes his shirt. For a brief moment, he's drawn to the photo of his wife. The Girl's screams have become pathetic whimpers. She's crying. In desperate need of a fix. Henry sits on the edge of his bed and composes himself.

000

Henry steps inside the medical center during the middle of the night, the girl lies on the floor of the cage, sweating, shivering. In between sobs, she pleads "Please, mister. I'm sorry!"

Henry approaches the cage and prepares a vial of morphine and a syringe "you have to cooperate" he tells her "I'll cooperate too, you talk to me, tell me a few things and I give you this."

"Fucking blackmail."

"What's your name," she doesn't respond to him, just keeps her eyes on the morphine "come on," he coaxes.

"Kate" she finally answers.

"Kate. Kate what?"

"Please…" she begs.

"Kate what."

"Kate Freelander."

"Kate, I'm Henry. Henry Foss," ever the gentleman, he extends his hand for her to shake, but she just smirks at the gesture.

"I know who you are. Everybody knows you who are."

"Everybody? What do you mean everybody?" he was shocked to put it mildly.

"Where I come from."

"Where's that."

"Give me the fucking drugs."

"Where?" he made like he was going to put them away if she didn't answer him.

"Just outside Kelowna. There were ten of us living in the woods. IT was good, you know? Real nice. A real "family" then...six months ago, the first ones came. We killed most, but more showed up the next night. Garris and I were the only ones to get away. The only ones left alive."

"Where is Garris now?"

"He's dead," she said it like they were talking about the weather "Give me the drugs!" she pleaded and cried.

"Why come here? To the city"

"We ran into some people in Prince George. They got a whole operation up there. Soldiers started it up. Gung-ho assholes. Survivalists. They got food, guns, and a hospital. They knew about you. Down here. All on your own.

"Bullshit."

"It's not! I swear!"

"Why not stay with them?"

"Because I didn't want to spend the rest of my already pathetic life getting gang-raped, okay? They murdered Gary and they had other plans for me, but I got away, I got away!"

Henry explodes to his feet; he is angry and confused "there's no one! No one else! I tried…the radio, signal flares; it's pointless for years I've tried…"

"Then how do you explain me?" He approaches her with the syringe "thank you," the relief and thanks were genuine.

"I can't find a vein," he looks at her arm briefly and not very close.

"Yes, you can, yes you can."

Henry finally locates one and injects it, once the syringe is empties into the arm, he steps back, Kate smiles and leans against the walls of the cage. Her eyes open wide with fear and her body shakes, she looks nauseous.

"This isn't morphine!"

"No, No, it's sticelezine. They developed it for rapid heroin detox, but it'll work for morphine addiction too."

"You prick!" She lunges at him, but her stomach cramps and she falls.

"It's a severe shock to the system, but the treatment only lasts for about twenty-four hours," he explains it rather gently.

"I swear I'll kill you!" she promised between stomach cramps, she collapses and looses consciousness.

"You won't go through withdrawal—it's not a painful process at all. You'll be asleep most of the time. There's a risk of heart attack, but I'll be monitoring you," Kate's eyes roll back into her head, her body goes limp. Henry unlocks the cage and lifts her into his arms.

000

Henry rests Kate on his bed. She's still filthy, so he makes the decision to wash her. He cuts away her t-shirt and leggings with surgical safety scissors and throws them away. He tries very hard not to be entranced by her young, thin body. He simply does a job. or tries to.

He fills a basin with warm water, soaps a sponge, and gently washes her body. Up her legs, her buttocks, around her stomach, her breasts. Shampoos and rinses her hair. Softly caresses her face with a washcloth.

It's an undeniably sensual experience, but Henry does not cross the line. He is respectful. There is a gentleness to his actions which informs anyone that would've been watching that he must have been a wonderful husband and a caring father. Henry opens a trunk and finds a nightgown among his wife's things. Carefully fits Kate into it. He steps back and observes her. Peaceful. Beautiful. Angelic.

Just like Erika.

He kneels, almost in prayer, then hooks her up to an I.V. and adjusts the flow of the medication. Henry takes towels and blankets, rips them into strips, and secures Kate's wrists and ankles to the bed frame. She's comfortable, but secure.

000

At dawn he goes to the greenhouse and selects the best fruit from his garden, he places it in the blender with some protein powder and water and boils some oatmeal on the stove.

000

Kate is somewhat conscious, Henry undoes her wrist ties and sits her up like a father with a newborn, and he attempts to feed her. She spits up and he wipes her face, "we've got to get something into you," he lifts a glass of the protein shake to her lips and she manages to drink some down, "good girl," He lowers her onto the bed and gives her a series of three injections; carefully following procedure in a medical manual. When complete, he reattaches the wrist ties and sits in a chair opposite Kate and watches her sleep.

000

A few hours later, Kate's body convulses, Henry expected this and prepares a syringe and injects her with it, and she relaxes.

000

Later on that evening Henry stands on the balcony and sips a cup of coffee, the sun sets beyond the hills over the ocean, he hears Kate stir and moan; he checks her blood pressure, temperature, and pulse and pupil dilation. Once he is satisfied with her vitals and removes the I.V. he gives her a final injection, removes one of the wrist ties and sits her up as she gains consciousness.

Henry sits beside her with a bowl of rice and a spoon and tires to get her to eat, but she shoves it away "I know you're hungry."

She is starving, but she doesn't allow him to feed her, with her one free hand she takes the bowl and spoon from him and feeds herself, big gulps of rice.

"Slow down! You'll get sick."

She listens, after a few bites, she realizes that she is clean and in someone else's clothes; "what did you do?"

"You were filthy."

Her anger surfaced "did you enjoy it? Giving me a little bubble bath? Did you like my body?"

"Eat."

"Did it turn you on? Did I get you hard?"

"Stop."

She regarded the nightgown "Who's this? Your mommy's? Grandma? Mrs. Foss?" she said the last one a little more slyly, from his reaction she knew her guess was right "ah I get it! Clean me up, dress me like the dear departed. Then what? Wait 'til I pass out and have a quick fuck for old time's sake? Was I any good? I'd like to know..."

"Stop it!" He explodes.

Kate laughs and he secures her free wrists to the bed and she continues to laugh "bondage? I'm into it. Was she?"

Henry closes the shutters to the balcony and gathers up the medical supplies and the food and heads downstairs.

"What's the matter? Can't get it up?"

000

Henry sits at the bottom of the spiral staircase, face buried in his hands, determined not to let her see him hurt. He moves to the surveillance center and checks the monitors. Still no sign of Worth and the Hemocytes. He adjusts a few knobs, a joystick controller, changing angles.

Something is out there. He zooms in. Dogs. Half a dozen contaminated dogs. Scavenging. He zooms in closer, trying to get a better look. No. He's not with them. A crash from upstairs. Thumping. Henry bolts up the spiral staircase.

000

Kate is convulsing. The I.V. is on the floor, the needle detached. Henry loosens the restraints and cradles her body until her limbs cease flailing. She vomits and he carries her into the bathroom. She heaves into the toilet and breaks into a cold sweat. He washes her face, and wraps her in a blanket. She looks at him with terrified eyes "I'm scared," she leans into him and he holds her, "I'm really scared."

"It's okay, I'm here."

She begins to cry and he softly caresses her face

"I know."

She buries her face into his shoulder, sobbing, he looks at the blank walls of the bathroom, stroking her hair "I know…"


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 – Getting to know you

The next morning Kate and Henry sat at the kitchen table together, Kate was wearing the nightgown and Henry's robe, she was gently rocking back and forth. Henry places a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of tea in front of her and the same for himself. He eats. She doesn't; "It'll help with the nausea," he tells her gently.

She takes a few bites. Sips her tea. They eat in silence for awhile until Kate decides to make conversation, "how long have you been here?"

"Almost 12 years, this was my house, is. My house," he tells her.

"I guess I thought you found it…took it over when…it happened. Why did you stay? Everybody knew to get out of the cities they took over the cities."

"My home. They can't take that away from me."

"You…fixed it up real nice. I feel safe here." It was supposed to be a compliment, he sort of nods a 'thanks' and she keeps going "don't you get lonely?"

"I keep busy. There's a lot to do."

"Answer the question," she half demands.

"Of course I do."

She nods. Understands. But wants to know more "I heard a lot of things. About you."

"Like what?"

"That you've killed hundreds of them. Thousands..."

"And?"

"That you like it. They say you chop off their heads and stick 'em on poles. That you cut out their hearts and eat them raw. They say you rape the women and cut off the men's cocks and shove 'em in their mouths."

"Where did you hear this?" he's not entirely sure how to react.

She hesitates for a moment. Then answers "up in Prince George. Those guys…"

"Right."

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do those things?"

"what do you think?"

She doesn't answer

"I've got work to do. If you feel up to it, you can help."

000

Around the compound Henry spot-checks the fences. Makes repairs where necessary. Kate follows, carrying a spool of wire.

"Why stay here? Why not take off? Who knows what you might find."

"Exactly."

"You Afraid?"

"I know what's here. Out there, I have nothing. Here I have everything. You said if before. I'm safe."

She snorted "I said I feel safe. Doesn't mean I am safe."

000

Later during the day Henry tends to the garden. Kate picks strawberries "I mean there could be more like you. Like me. Uninfected. Surviving. Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know? There's a whole country... A whole continent...

"How old are you?" he eyes her a bit.

"19"

"I'm 30. When you're 30, you like staying put."

000

Henry fills the generators, checks the Land Rover, the back-up car, the motorcycle. Kate eats strawberries and suddenly starts speaking again "are you going to rape me?"

"Henry looks at her with disbelief "hadn't planned on it, no."

"Those guys in Prince George, that's what they had in mind."

"I figured as much."

"Why are they like that?"

"Who?"

"Men. Most men are like that."

"Not me. So don't worry."

"Yeah but you're…weird. Not normal."

He raised an eyebrow "I'm not normal?" he looked at the strawberries "don't eat too many of those. You'll get sick."

000

On the roof Henry replaces bulbs in lamps. Kate searches the surrounding area with a pair of binoculars "why do you think this happened? My dad thought it was God. God got so pissed off at what people were doing, he decided to end it. Once and for all."

"This isn't about punishment; God doesn't want us to suffer."

"Oh yeah? Why then? Why let this happen?"

"We let this happen. Not him."

"How do you know?" she put down the binoculars.

"I don't. That's just what I believe. If I didn't, I would've blown my brains out a long time ago."

000

Kate and Henry sit down to dinner. Henry whispers a blessing, and then serves the food, "Henry?"

It was the first time she's called him that and he looks up "can I stay here?"

He analyzes her beautiful, youthful face; her tough exterior has vanished like so much vapor "if you want," he nodded.

"I do. Thank you."

He nods and shyly returns to his plate. They sneak glances at each other as they share the rest of dinner in silence.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 – Two of us.

At night Henry and Kate are on the roof of the house, Henry shows Kate how to switch on the powerful exterior lights. He lifts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and surveys the area. Again, no Hemocytes; "have you gone? Have you?" he retreats inside.

Kate hesitates on the roof and looks at the barren area beyond the compound fences, she waits for a moment, apparently deeply torn then follows.

000

In the house and the surveillance center he shows her the various closed-circuit screens and computer, "For movement outside the far fence, your best vantage point is the roof. Beyond that, you're better off down here." He regarded the monitors "Visual checks here," he shows her the computer "sensor checks here. The area surrounding the house is monitored for changes in heat, sound, movement. If one gets inside the fence, you'll know," the computer displays the electronic mines and he continues on talking "If you can't take them out with a shot from the roof or one of the windows, use these. Each spot on the screen corresponds to a keyboard command. Press it and it ignites a mine. Just make sure you have the right one.

"Kind of cold blooded isn't it?"

"There are hundreds of them and just one of me," he pauses and rethinks "two of us. It's just the way it has to be."

Kate thinks she sees the system's fatal flaw, a weakness, What happens if they all come-over the fence? All at once?"

"They won't," Henry hits a button on the computer keyboard. All the "mine" symbols start blinking red. He throws a switch and an alarm sounds. A red light flashes. Kate panics. "In thirty seconds, the whole thing goes up. The house, the yard, the hill. All of it."

"Turn it off!"

He enjoys her discomfort for a minute.

"Turn it off!" she shrieks and begs

He pushed it too far and shuts the system down "Two years ago, I captured one of them. Brought him inside and showed him just what I showed you. Then I let him go. They know. Do you remember the old Cold War? No, you were too young."

"I read about it."

"Well then. During the Cold War, there was an unspoken understanding. If any of the major powers launched an all-out assault, the target country would retaliate in equal force. It would mean total destruction. The attack would be rendered meaningless. So peace was maintained. I guess you could call it peace, even what I have with Worth-it's a sort of peace. We have our border clashes, skirmishes. But we both know..."

She cuts him off "where are they now?"

He is honest about it "I have no idea. It could be a trick. They might be gone. Once and for all. Most of them-when things began to settle down-became nomadic. When a food supply became depleted, it became necessary for them to move on, to find new sources. But he remained. Laying his claim. Establishing a power base."

"Who?"

"Worth?"

"Who is worth?"

He laughs; he actually can't believe that she doesn't know "whose worth?"

000

TVs litter the floor. Like an obsessed librarian, Henry searches for the perfect assortment of videotapes. Kate sits in a chair like a moviegoer waiting for the show, "How old were you? Sixteen?

Kate nods.

"Where were you living? Prince George?"

"No. We lived in the mountains. About two hundred miles east.

"You didn't see any of this?"

"My dad didn't allow TV. My brother...My brother and I used to sneak into the car to listen to the radio sometimes..."

"But you never saw?"

"Not until after. Not 'till it was all over. When they came our way. From the cities. My father thought cities were Sodom and Gomorrah. And they were the offspring. The damned."

He inserts the first cassette "You know what I did? I worked in computers and technology, but I really liked history and minored in it when I was working on my degree. I've kept all this as a record. A document of the truth. Someday, it might help. Someone, someone in the future...They can see. See for themselves what happened.

He presses play TV anchor woman appears and Kate realizes she is watching TV news footage. The news anchor starts speaking on tape "a...disturbing occurrence at the Sanctuary our Clara Griffen is on the scene."

The tape now shows a herd of reporters, firefighters, and Police Officers outside the Sanctuary, Griffen speaks on the tape "Three doctors and two security guards were murdered as five patients fled the locals and those in the know are calling "The Sanctuary," we have no information on the nature of the work being done here, but…" we see a wounded Doctor Gregory Magnus escorted from the center by two policemen, blood drips from his forehead; "Doctor Magnus? Doctor Magnus? Can you tell us why the C.D.C was alerted? Is there a public danger?" Magnus looks shell-shocked. He hides his face and slinks into the rear of a police car.

000

Henry shuts off the tape. Presses play on another deck, another TV springing to life. Video Footage of the Old City Chief of Police: Joe Cavanaugh at a Press Conference filled with angry reporters. Blown-up photos of the "Magnus Five" rest on easels behind him. Most prominent is a photo of Worth. Henry points to it for Kate, "that's him. That's Worth."

"These men and this woman are considered extremely dangerous. They have no killed twenty people in just forty-eight hours, including four police officers."

"Chief, we've gotten no clear answer on this…are these people carrying some kind of virus? We have the right to know," a reporter off screen interrogates him.

Cavanaugh, who to be honest, hasn't been chief of police all that long, rubbed at his face before answering "I am going to turn that over to Dr. Bruno Delacourt from the C.D.C

Dr. Delacourt steps up to the microphone "upon the CDC's review of Dr. Magnus's research, Washington has given us the authority to term this a CODE RED situation. Each of the five is carrying a potentially lethal virus-type agent.

There are shots and cries from the press as they all start talking at once "is it contagious?" asked the same reporter as before.

"What are the symptoms?" asks another.

Bruno Delacourt put his hands up to silence everyone "Listen, we're still trying to get a handle on these ourselves. The Sanctuary is under quarantine. For the moment, we have no plans to implement such containment to the city itself."

Henry shut of the tape "no, but you should've," he mumbles to himself then turns to Kate "You don't know what it was like. The fear. The panic."

He starts another; this one is of more video footage of the Premier of British Columbia reading a statement. The poor man looks absolutely distraught, "just spoken to the Prime Minister. Although it grieves me to do so, for the safety of our citizens, the National Guard has declared a state of martial law in the province of British Columbia. I am told such considerations are underway in Alberta, Yukon, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Under the statutes of martial law, and in accordance with the extreme circumstances of this situation, all personally-owned firearms will be confiscated by the military. Also, a mandatory curfew-for all civilians-is instated. The curfew will begin at sunset and last until sunrise the following day. Anyone on the street during this period is considered dangerous. A "shoot-to-kill" order has been issued. Anyone exhibiting symptoms of infection must admit themselves to the nearest medical facility for treatment. If a child is symptomatic, the parent or parents will be held responsible. Noncompliance in this request is a punishable offense. Punishable by death. Finally, all bodies... All victims... must be properly disposed of. If you see a corpse, do not touch it. Call the 800 number at the bottom of the screen and a disposal unit will be alerted. God have mercy on us all."

Henry switches off the tape and turns to Kate "In six days-less than a week-the world turned upside down. Old City became a war zone. Do you know what people do when you tell them they no longer have rights? That an individual is powerless? They fight. It was ludicrous to think mankind would just roll on its back and comply. I saw my neighbors-people I've known for years-become bloodthirsty savages. Infected, uninfected, it didn't matter. We were all driven mad. The survival instinct went ballistic. Food, guns, medicine, and blood-it all became priceless. Worth killing for. Those who had became the targets of the have not's. A city of five million people. Within a month more than half were dead. Six weeks later, about ten thousand like me. AB Negatives. We were all determined to live. But we didn't gather together. There was no unity. It was every man for himself. Trust had been abolished. By the end of the year, it was me. Just me."

Kate looked like she was going to go into shock "How? How did you do it?"

"I remained calm. It's the great secret of survival. When all around is chaos, when everyone is driven to the brink of insanity...Relax."

She studies her hands "don't you...Don't you wish, sometimes that you died too? With everybody else?" It sounded like a confession.

"Every day." BEEP-BEEP-BEEP a sensor alarm interrupts them. Henry bolts to the surveillance center. Scans the monitors for signs of activity, but finds nothing; "I'm going to the roof. Stay here."

He grabs a rifle and heads up the staircase. Kate moves to the videotapes. Curious to find a certain something.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 – What happened to Erika and Alice?

On the roof top, Henry surveys the area with binoculars. For a brief moment, he thinks that he sees someone going over the far fence; he raises the rifle scope, but finds nothing.

000

A few hours later Henry walked into the living room, he hears familiar sounds of a familiar tape, he walks in and there is video playing of Erika playing with Alice, "turn it off."

Kate turns around, she's the one the watching the tape, how can he betray something like that so quickly? "She was beautiful"

"Turn it off Kate," now it's more of a demand.

"What happened to her?"

"Turn it off!" he screamed it and he moves to the TV and presses the wrong button. The image of Alice's laughing face won't go away; angry and disturbed, he frantically tries to shut it off, then yanks the plug out of the wall; "don't you ever do that again. Ever!" he's not looking at her, he shuts off the other electronics, "you should get some sleep."

She's not entirely sure what she did wrong "what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I get about two or three hours just before dawn."

"Are you sure?"

"Go to bed, Kate. Please?" he begs and she heads up the stairs without being told another time, she steals a glance at him, but he isn't looking at her, he's looking at his reflection in the blank TV screen.

000

A few hours later Henry checks on Kate and she's sleeping like an angel as he stands over her.

He smiles softly despite the situation and goes back downstairs.

000

Henry lies on a mat on the floor, staring the ceiling.

_Flashback:_

_Erika stands at the living room window, anxious, nervous. Outside, Army Helicopters fly overhead. The streets are virtually deserted. Dusk is approaching. And the curfew. Erika checks her watch. The Land Rover screeches into the driveway. Henry hurries into the house carrying a big gym bag. Erika opens the door and locks it once he's inside; "where were you?" Henry draws the curtains "you have a phone in the goddamn car!" _

"_Kitchen door locked?"_

"_What?" _

"_Is it locked?!" he snaps. Henry opens the bag revealing a machine gun and clips of ammunition. Erika is paralyzed by the sight of it, "Where's Alice?"_

"_Asleep," she is still staring at the gun in the bag._

"_How's she doing? Is she…"_

"_Hank!"_

"_What?!"_

"_Where did you get it?"_

"_A friend is in the National Guard is in the National Guard. He gave it to me."_

"_Gave it to you?"_

"_I traded him," he says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. _

"_Traded what?" she eyes him suspiciously. _

"_Blood. My blood. There's some kind of rumor going around that transfusions of AB Negative can keep you safe," he scoffs as if the idea is completely ludicrous. _

"_Is that true?"_

"_No. but he thinks so."_

"_For God's sake, Henry, what if they find out?! Do you know what they'll do? They're killing people who hide guns!" _

"_Just SHUT UP, Erika. Okay?"_

_They stop when they sense Alice in the room. She's staring at them with dark, glassy eyes. Emaciated, clearly infected. She just looks at them-as if their fighting was her fault,"Daddy? I'm scared."_

_Henry feels an overwhelming sadness. He moves to her just as she faints._

_000_

_A few days later in a darkened room, Henry sees his wife sitting on the edge of the bed "Erika?" her wrist is bleeding and the weak Alice is drinking from the wound, A guilty Erika explains to her horrified husband "she needs it Henry, and I am not afraid. What is meant to pass will pass."_

_000_

_A week later and two C.D.C. Men in biohazard suits enter the house. A Biohazard-Suited National Guardsmen stands watch. The C.D.C. Men see Alice's dead form. Henry stands in a corner, very near the edge of shock. One of the C.D.C. men turns to him; his voice electronically distorted "it's just the two of you, sir?"_

"_Yes. My wife died last week," he lies._

_They load Alice into a body bag and carry her to the door. Outside, a Garbage truck waits; there are more guardsmen and more garbage trucks on every street. The distraught Henry, maintaining composure, moves to his pre-customization Land Rover._

"_I'm coming with you."_

"_That's not allowed." _

"_I'm AB negative, besides, you can't stop me. I still have that right."_

000

_Henry's Rover stops outside the ARMY GOLF COURSE-the MASS BURIAL SITE. The GARBAGE TRUCK unceremoniously dumps its cargo. The body bags fall. A biohazard-suited worker carrying a large hose sprays the corpses with gasoline. Another worker tosses a torch over the side and the pit erupts in flames. Henry watches in horror, the crimson fire reflected against his skin._

_000_

_Henry is back in his house, he unlocks the door to the master bedroom and knocks a warning "Erika? It's me..." _

_He pushes into the room and he sees a terrified Erika huddled in the corner clutching the machine gun. She is pale and emaciated. Sweating, paranoid. Infected, "are they gone?"_

"_They're gone, sweetie." He says as tenderly as he can; he kneels beside her and eases the gun out of her tight grip, "its okay..."_

"_Is she…" She can't bear to say the words; no parent should out live a child. _

"_She's gone, honey. It's over for her. She's at peace," he says against his own tears. _

_Erika begins to sob and desperately hugs him "oh god, Henry, just kill me. Please?"_

_It would probably be for the best, but the idea is poison to him, "I can't do that," he tells her gently_

000

_He isn't sure how much time has passed anymore, does it matter? He is inside the cemetery and is working quietly and in darkness, he slips past security and carries Erika's dead body to the tomb. Inside the crypt he lays her to rest, she's dressed in her wedding gown and Henry places her within the stone coffin and kneels in prayer, "I love you, Erika. I will love you forever."_

000

_Old City is in ruins buildings and cars on fire, crashed helicopters smoldering in the streets. Horrible cries of pain and thirst are in the air and in Henry's house the first crude barricade is up. _

_Inside, Henry sits in a chair in the center of the room, empty bottles of liquor at his feet, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Dirty, unshaven. The machine gun resting in his lap. He just stares. Waiting. Fists pound against the door, glass breaks and arms reach inside._

_He waits. A small band of Hemocytes breaks through the front door. Henry readies the machine gun stands. Calm. The terrifying creatures move toward him. Six, maybe eight. And he sees the leader's face..._

_Erika._

_Skin translucent, body muscular, almost naked-the wedding gown stripped away. Her eyes are icy, dead. Long claws extend from her fingertips. She smiles at her husband "Henry…"_

_Henry raises the gun to his eye. Takes aim. Erika and the Hemocytes are upon him. He looks into her lifeless eyes. Hungry for him. "I knew you would come, Erika. I knew." He sighs "God forgive me." _

_He open fires. _

_000_

Henry screams as he comes awake from his nightmare, he lashes out at imaginary attacks and is utterly terrified, Kate jumps from her bed and tries to calm him "Henry! Henry! It's okay!"

He flails, but she holds him. He leans into her, sobbing, "hey, it's okay…it's okay."

They both receive something from the embrace. A connection – it's a necessary

Thing: a simple human need for touch, for understanding, he looks into her

Eyes and She gently touches his face they kiss deeply and passionately.

They make love with deep emotion, sensitivity, and passion. As if they were proving to each other and to themselves that they are still human, that they can steel feel.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 – morning after

The next morning Henry prepares breakfast for Kate, he carries a tray and Henry quietly enters a delivers breakfast-in-bed to her, the sunlight streams in through the window-slits and she leans against him as she eats and he holds her.

000

Henry and Kate walk the perimeter, later on – a bit after breakfast and she hesitantly, she reaches out and takes his hand "would you ever leave here?" she asks.

Henry doesn't answer. He spots something entwined in the barbed wire over the main gate. He lets go her hand and climbs up a series of ladder steps nailed into the wood on the interior of the gate posts. He reaches the top and pulls out a piece of clothing - A little boy's blue parka, Henry examines it "how'd this get up here?"

Unseen by Henry, Kate is frozen. Her eyes fixed on the parka. Color drains from her face. Henry drops to the ground and examines the dirty, tattered coat, "must've been a bad wind last night," he turns to Kate who is still fixed on the parka "what's wrong?"

She shakes it off "nothing," she kisses him, "let's go inside, hmmm?"

Kate pulls him inside and they make love all afternoon.

000

Its dusk and Henry stands in the crow's nest, eyes on the horizon. A vibrant red-and-purple sky with massive clouds, it's one of the most breathtaking sunsets that he has seen in quite a long time, or maybe it's just a matter of he is seeing it with a new pair of eyes? Henry exudes a sense of peace. A beguiling tranquility "Henry?" He turns and sees her. She wears a simple, pretty dress and a scarf around her neck. Very feminine. Erika's.

"You look beautiful, "he tells her genuinely.

"Dinner's ready," she says simply, she goes to him and he holds her. _Has she been crying? _"Are you sad?"

"NO. No, "she kisses him and looks at his dirty hand and clothes, "you should wash up, her smile seems genuine. He obeys and heads downstairs.

"Yes ma'am," he teases.

Kate hesitates behind him "I'll be right down; I just want to look at the sunset."

Henry smiles and descends. when he is out of sight, Kate's smile fades. She appears distraught, torn. She undoes the scarf and ties it high on the crow's nest, like a flag.

A signal.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31 - dinner

The table is beautifully set and Kate has made dinner. Romantic music is in the background. She stands near the table, waiting, as Henry comes from upstairs. He approaches the tender domestic setting "I hope its okay. I haven't actually cooked anything in god knows how long."

"Looks wonderful."

He kisses her. It takes her a moment to fall into the embrace, the warmth. Just as soon as she gives in, she breaks off. Smiles and instructs Henry "sit, before it gets cold." Kate returns to the kitchen and carries a pitcher-the blender, really-to the table. She pours him a wine-glass full of what looks like a fresh fruit shake – "I looked for wine…"

"Not here."

"Right, so I made a sort of virgin fruity thing..."

He takes a sip and smiles softly "it's good."

She smiles and takes her seat. They start to eat, both a little nervous; like a first date. Kate watches as Henry takes another drink, tries the meal-chicken and pasta, "this is great, Kate. Thank you."

She picks at her food. He takes her hand, "I'm sorry about what I did…when I brought you here. I felt I was doing what was right. I want you to know Kate that I care about you."

"I know."

"I would do anything for you."

"Don't say that. Please…" she begs him.

"Why? I mean it. I would…"

"Please, Henry, Please…"

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! A sensor alarm interrupts their conversation - BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! It goes off again and Henry rises from the table and heads to the surveillance station. As he walks, his stomach cramps up, but he presses on. When he looks into the monitors, what he sees shocks him – On the monitors, the Hemocytes. Hundreds of them – Worth and his entire tribe – "My God...Kate..." He winces in pain when his stomach cramps again.

Kate doesn't move from the table. She just sits and watches him.

"Kate!" he calls out for her, He's very confused by her behavior. His vision BLURS and for a moment, he's dizzy, and then he remembers; "the lights!" He switches on the exterior compound lights, but nothing happens. Outside remains dark; "Kate! Downstairs, the generators…something must be wrong with.." he takes a step and falls to his knees, the pain is intolerable, he braces himself from falling over, his vision is cloudy and his speech is starting to slur, "what's happening?"

Kate slowly rises and comes to him. He reaches out for her, but she passes and moves to the surveillance center where she unplugs the computers and security monitors, "oh, Jesus, no. You can't do that…" He glances at the kitchen table. His nearly-empty glass and he finally sees that hers was never filled. He looks to Kate. She stands in the middle of the room, shivering with fear and shame. Tears in her eyes. Henry feels completely betrayed, "why?" is all he can get out.

Kate cannot look at him," I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

And then he hears - "Henry!" He crawls across the floor, makes it to his feet, and pulls himself up to one of the window/slits. A nightmare is what he sees.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 - Nightmare

Outside the compound at night numerous poles are placed against the fence. Hemocytes-all mouths red with fresh blood-prepare for a massive assault. Worth climbs the first pole, stands atop the gate to the compound and addresses the troops "We have waited long enough. The hour is nigh. Let us pay a visit to the Devil."

Thelo signals the Drummers, who beat out the charge. Imogene howls to her warriors, who in turn emit a fierce battle cry. And Worth leads them over the side.

000

In the living room Henry falls to the floor. Eyes wide with fear. Again, he manages to get to his feet, stumbles to the staircase, and heads upstairs. Kate follows "Henry! It's over!" she tells him like he might listen the 32nd time she says it.

Fighting exhaustion from whatever drug he's been given, Henry forces himself to move. He stumbles and slips and somehow makes it into the bedroom and opens a cabinet near the balcony; he grabs a flare gun and a case of flares and opens the steel shutters.

"No, Henry," her voice comes from behind him and he sees her standing at the stairs, a gun pointed at him; her hand is trembling, her face is stained with tears.

Henry Scoffs "I assume if they wanted you to kill me, I'd be dead already," he would've laughed at the cliché line if he wasn't in so much pain and he loads the first flare.

"Please!" he loads the first flare.

She waves the gun, "Please?!" she tries again.

Henry steps onto the balcony and fires into the air. Kate can't bring herself to do any more. She lowers the gun and covers her face in shame.

On the balcony, Henry loads and fires flare after flare. The night sky becomes filled with phosphorescent orange light. He aims a few at the fence, and the final flare at the moat.

000

The moat erupts in flame and catching a few, but most have moved beyond the moat, to the inner fence. Worth hisses and sneers, his gaze fixed on his nemesis on the balcony "HENRY!"

The two antagonists lock eyes; Henry above, Worth below. Heaven and Hell. The gasoline fire burns, black smoke spiraling into the sky. The mass of Hemocyte bodies swarm toward the house. The flares slowly sink to the earth, leaving glowing trails behind them. A surreal, hallucinatory, horrifying scene.

Henry stumbles inside and from the cabinet grabs a shotgun, machine gun, and all the ammo he can carry. He loads the shotgun and turns to Kate. For a brief, very brief moment, he ponders the act of killing her. Then simply states "Get out of my way."

She steps aside and falls to her knees as he heads downstairs.

000

Henry falls down the last few steps and into the living room. For a moment, he lies there sounds of the Hemocytes pounding, scratching, scraping at the outer shell of the house. Henry's eyelids are heavy. _Sleep. Just let it come_ "NO!" he shouts to himself to keep himself a wake, using the machine gun as a crutch, he defiantly gets to his feet and stands- Eyes shifting from one spot to the next as the sounds direct him. The sounds are intolerable: Fingers, Hands, Arms; forcefully tearing apart the house, reaching inside. Henry hefts the machine gun in one hand, the shotgun in the other, "Come on!" he almost shouts as if urging them on, and they come. The blood-fueled, rage-filled faces of the Hemocytes poke through the crumbling walls, their sharp talons ripping open the house like a birthday gift.

Henry opens fire. Merciless and unfeeling. The last acts of a desperate man. Blood sprays, but the Hemocytes press on. Most of their wounds non-lethal, they crawl into the room like a swarm of insects. Henry manages to drop a few, but the onslaught is endless, limitless. He pushes back, heading downstairs.

000

Henry shuts a trap door in the basement, sealing off the upstairs. He makes it to the electrical control panels. They've been irrevocably sabotaged. _Why, Kate? Why?_ Breathing heavily, he goes to the door to the garage. He's about to unbolt it, stops. Listens: Scratching. Scraping. Voices on the other side "Henry..." They're in the garage.

Henry is trapped he has Hemocytes to all sides and the outcome is inevitable. He drops the machine gun. Loads one last round in the shotgun. Kneels. Puts the barrel under his chin. Reaches for the trigger and stops. Remembers. Maybe there's a way out.

He moves to the small door leading to the crawlspace under the compound-the series of tunnels. He has difficulty opening it, so takes the familiar ALL-IN-ONE TOOL from his pocket and uses it to jimmy open the latch. He manages to open it and sticks the tool in his mouth to get it out of the way. He climbs in and shuts the hatch just as the Hemocytes crash through from the garage.

000

Pitch black. Henry cannot see his hand in front of his face. He slithers toward a sliver of orange light at the end of the tunnel. He grasps the shotgun tight. He listens to the footsteps of the Hemocytes on the surface above him. Their howls, screeches, and cries. The incessant drumming in the distance: _Dear god, make it stop_.

His eyes grows weary, his fingers lose their grip on the gun. Passing out. Like a protagonist in Poe, he is virtually buried alive. Just as he succumbs to the effects of the drug, darkness turns to light. Orange light from the flares in the sky. Henry senses what is coming. Someone has opened the trap door. Someone has found his hiding place. Henry's eyes open to see the face of his discoverer...

Adam Worth.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 – captured

Henry pulled from his grave, by dozens of clawed hands. The shotgun ripped from his hands, His clothes torn from his body. Spite-filled faces. Shouting, cursing, spitting. Screeching with glee. Barbed wire pulled from the fences, cutting into his flesh. Worth's talons teasing his throat. Kate. Surrounded by Hemocytes. They pay her no heed. She walks among them untouched, unharmed. Henry's face. A tight grimace. Clearly he is in

pain...None of the images makes sense to him they are all distorted and have hallucination kind of feel? Is this it?

000

Just outside the compound Henry' face first finds itself surrounded by earth, the Hemocytes, then sky. It's a disorienting effect that leaves him dizzy.

Henry lashed to a thick, long wooden pole. Bound with rope, straps of leather and barbed wire. He is virtually naked, his shorts affording him a minor degree of dignity. His entire body is laced with scratches. His face is battered and bruised. They've been having fun with him.

The Hemocytes gathered at the base of the pole secure it to the ground. Worth and his lieutenant's stand before the tribe, displaying their prey. Show casing the defeat and capture of the Devil. Henry opens his eyes. Orange, red, and yellow. The colors flicker and dance across his face. Sweat beads on his forehead from intense heat, "everything you held so dear…"Henry's house is in flames, a black shell roaring like a furnace. The Hemocytes watch it with awe. They lustily dance and scream with joy. Worth climbs the pole until he can whisper into Henry's ear "What does it mean now? Anything?" Henry turns away. Worth holds his head in place, forcing him to watch. Worth touches Henry's neck with a talon "your life-as you know it—is over," Worth scratches Henry's neck with his talon. A thin line of blood begins to flow and Worth drinks. Henry tolerates the savage act-no more no less. He stares at his home as it crumbles into a fiery heap.

000

The long pole, with Henry at the end in the dirt, is dragged through the street, the object of public humiliation. The Hemocytes crowd around him, kicking, laughing, spitting, and occasionally scratching him with a claw. It's a celebration for them and a time to rejoice.

Each bump on the terrain causes the barbed wire to scrape across Henry's skin, He's in agony, but his face remains tight, unemotional, betraying nothing. Giving nothing. They move down the hill, onto the main road-a brutal parade.

The pole is moved hand-by-hand along a staircase leading into the subway tunnels. As Henry is passed along, he sees dozens of Hemocyte faces. Some laughing, some screeching with anger, others terrified to look at "it", at the Devil.

000

He's taken to the subway tunnels. It's dark down here, but moonlight filters in through crumbled streets, open sewers and transoms, casting this netherworld in an odd purple glow. Alien. Worth leads the parade down the tracks to a ROUNDABOUT, a large open area where many tracks meet. It is multi-leveled, the "ground", having been excavated to REVEAL old layers of the city. Dormant relics of Old City's past. It is here where Worth's tribe lives. This is "home." Their village.

As Henry is pulled, dragged, and thrown into it, he sees more Hemocytes here than ever came to his house. They huddle en masse, fearful of the captive demon.

There is a decor to the underground Hemocyte village, a style, a sense of culture. The graffiti is more than tribal markings. It exhibits a passion, a unique sensibility. Art. The dwelling spaces, the clothing, the makeshift "architecture"-there is something developing here. Not human, not what we once regarded as human, but something cultural: A new development; artistically, aesthetically, Revolutionary, Evolutionary.

In the center of the roundabout, in a circular forum (the "town square"), Henry and the pole are raised and presented to the people of the village, The Hemocytes gather around Henry, hundreds of them. Chanting, drumming, screeching, hissing - All eyes on the demon before them.

Adam Worth takes his place at what must be the leader's post, a pedestal/throne on which he stands and addresses the assembled. He raises his arms and the Hemocytes give him quiet. Worth raises a finger and points at Henry: "Behold the Beast, No longer mighty, No longer unconquerable, No longer an icon of fear. No longer a spirit to haunt the minds and souls of our children." He regards the women "Bring them now. Let them see this "Henry Foss" now. The crowd parts and the women bring forth something Henry never imagined: Hemocyte Children. Offspring.

Dozens of them. Two and three years old. The mothers hold the newborns and toddlers in their arms. High atop the pole, Henry cannot believe it. His expression is a mixture of sadness, terror, and guilt. Children! – "Look at them Henry. How many of their fathers have you killed? Their mothers? How many families did you destroy?"

The children look at him with fear and revulsion.

"How arrogant you were! Arrogant in your righteousness! To be so convinced that: you were doing God's work, that you were his avenging angel. The defender of faith! A faith in humanity. But what became of humanity, Henry? It was struck down! Smote by God! But you! You cling to the belief that we are the abomination. Did it ever enter your mind; did you ever consider... that we are the chosen? That we are the future?" Adam lifts one of the children into his arms "You are an illusion, Henry! You mean nothing!"

Worth raises his hand. A talon emerges from his fingertip. He makes a delicate cut in Henry's ankle and catches the flowing blood in the palm of his hand. Forming a "cup," he brings his hand to the lips of the child in his arms, "Drink, son."

The child's lips touch the blood. Worth lowers the boy to the ground and

he scampers off to join his friends, "Don't be frightened of them, Henry. Look beyond your own ideas and see their beauty. Their souls."

The Hemocyte children stare at the "monster." Henry finds himself drawn to their faces: odd and ghoulish, yes, but possessing the innocence of all children.

Worth signals to a group of warriors who throw long ropes into the rafters of the roundabout; Near the ceiling, other warriors catch the lines, loop them over steel beams and slip them back to their counterparts at ground level. These warriors tie one end of the ropes to the top of the pole.

As they work, Imogene shoves Kate into the circle. Kicks her until she's kneeling at Worth's feet. He cups her chin in his hand and, as if to kiss her, lifts her to his face, "she's a pretty little thing," he turns to Henry "Did she play the temptress well? Did she Henry? Were you seduced?"

Kate violently breaks away from him.

"Where's Thad?

"Thad?"

"Where is he?"

Worth signals to a Hemocyte nurse who enters a dwelling space and returns carrying a small boy in her arms; He is pale and thin, but not from infection. The boy-Thad-is barely conscious; needle marks line his bony arms and legs.

Kate runs to the Nurse and takes the boy into her arms, clutching him to her breast with love and desperation: "Hey, baby brother."

He musters a smile for her, and then drifts back to slumber.

Kate examines the marks on his arms, turns to Worth "You said you would stop!"

"When you returned, yes, when he was defeated, yes," He referenced Henry.

Atop the pole, Henry watches the scene play in front of him. His eyes stay fixed on Kate, on Thad, "Well there he is! I did what you asked!"

"And now you wish to go."

"That was the bargain."

"Where will you go, Kate? What will you find?" he again references Henry "More like him? Pathetic reminders of the past? Leading paranoid, delusional lives? Stay. You serve a purpose here. You've been treated well."

"Well? Treated well?"She attempts to exit the circle, but every way she turns, her path is blocked by Hemocytes. She pulls Thad tight, tries to force her way past them, but the Hemocytes sneer and laugh. The Nurse grabs Thad from her and Kate screams "Nooooooo!" She lunges for him, but Imogene comes up from behind and stops Kate with an immobilizing hold. Kate bellows at Worth "you promised!"

"Silly thing, we need you here. We need you to breed."

Kate screams as Imogene forces her to the ground and binds her arms and ankles with leather straps. Kate fights her with fury, but Imogene is too strong an opponent. Once Kate is bound, Imogene hefts her and carries up a staircase to a higher level of the multi-tiered village. The Nurse follows with Thad.

Simultaneously, Henry is lifted into the air as the Hemocyte Warriors pull on the ropes. Their purpose is to raise him above the village, for all to view: A living totem. As Henry ascends, he can see the cavernous room into which the Hemocytes take Kate and her little brother.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The room is filled with filthy beds. Lit by candles. Inside, the Hemocyte nurses tend to the room's inhabitants: dozens of humans. The elderly and infirm, on one side, youngsters on the other. The children invoke the most empathy. Anywhere from three to twelve in years, they lie bound. I.V.s of morphine or sedatives feed into their arms. Some of the Nurses feed the captives a horrible gruel while others draw blood. Collecting it from open wounds, pouring it into large bowls and dishes.

Henry's eyes are filled with shock, anger, and sadness. Food. He locks at Worth with disgust. Ascending a staircase as Henry is lifted higher into the air, Worth explains to his prize: "Savagery gives way to civilization. It's a necessary step for us. Fewer of your kind remain and if we feast on each other, or others like us-we cannot survive. For a race to thrive it must not cannibalize itself. Therefore, we raise our sustenance. Nurture it, let it grow. Allow it to multiply."

Henry wants to berate Worth, but his lips are sealed. His mouth remains tight.

"No harsh words, Henry? No condemnations? I'm disappointed."

000

In the cavernous room, Kate is bound to a rusty cot. Thad to a small bed. Both are quickly narcotized. Subdued.

000

Henry hangs his head in despair as his body is lifted into the rafters. The Hemocytes below secure the ropes to the ground. Henry hangs above the village. For all to see. No possible means of escape.

Worth stands on a ledge high above the village, addresses the throng, and points to Henry: "Here he is and here he will stay."

Worth leaps into the air and grabs hold of a pipe near the pole. Hanging with one hand, he extends the other, allows his talons to extend, and slashes the soles of Henry's feet. Henry grimaces in pain, but won't allow Worth the pleasure of a scream. Blood begins to flow and drip from Henry's soles. The crimson drops fall onto the tongues, into the mouths of the Hemocytes below. Like children catching the first snowflakes of winter.

"DRINK CHILDREN! Drink the blood of the fallen!"

Imogene leads the Hemocytes in a screech of support. Far below, not joining in the drunken revelry is the leader of the Hemocyte Clerics, Thelo. His eyes are on Henry. Does he betray a note of sympathy? He looks away and signals the drummers to take up a victorious rhythm.

Dangling above his enemies-now his captors-Henry's chin drops to his chest. From the battle, the beating, the humiliation, the defeat-he is beyond weary. His eyelids droop, his jaw relaxes. He catches himself and grinds his teeth together, keeping his mouth closed tight. _Why?_

He has not said a word since the fight at the house.

_Why?_

000

Well, yes, it is now "morning", but there's no way to tell down here, aside from a few pinholes of early morning light peeping through a crack or crevice on the surface.

On the various layers of the community, we find the Hemocytes exhausted. From fighting, from celebration, from feasting. They prepare for sleep, huddled together like pups.

High above them, strapped to the pole, Henry gently swings, the ropes creaking. He's fighting to stay awake. Above him on the catwalk of pipes, ventilation ducts, steel girders, and old electrical cables, appears Thelo. He appears calm and serene-not a threat. He approaches Henry until he's only a few feet away, eye-to-eye.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

Henry doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

"We went to university together, we took a class together."

Henry is stunned. Assesses the man's face. Tries to imagine what he looked like before infection.

"Thelo Praxis. I was a seminary student. I minored in computer engineering—We took a class together on information technology I remember you gave a speech in it; it was focuses on moral and ethical issues using technology remember? I know you had a passion for History as well because of some of your lectures, let me ask you: What will they make of this, Henry? The historians of the future? How will they see the events of today? A victory or defeat? You don't care to comment? You were always quite eloquent in your opinions.

Henry looks in the direction of the room containing the humans. Thelo follows his gaze, comments: "In every war, in every great struggle, we see the sacrifice of innocents. Are their lives worth it? If thousands will live, should we allow a handful to die?" Your words, Henry, not mine. Your questions you posed it to us in your 'speech' to the class and if I recall, you never provided us an answer."

He turns back to Henry, "I was never ordained. As a priest: But I have a flock. A barbaric one, yes, but we are unified, we are strong. Does it surprise you to see us as such? As something more than monsters?"

Henry remains quiet. Thelo reaches into his clothes and uses a damp rag to wash Henry's wounds, "Some of us are not without compassion. Some of us saw Worth's pursuit of your defeat a pointless, selfish obsession. He wants you kept alive. He always wanted you like this, don't you see? He wants a trophy. A living symbol of his strength, He'll bleed you, feed from you, have you father more like yourself;" He lifts a container of gruel. Brings a spoonful to his lips, but Henry refuses to eat," You're behaving like a child." Thelo tries to force feed him, but Henry spits out the food and Snarls at Thelo, "Fine... Have it your way. Soon, you'll be begging for my kindness."

He departs down a staircase to the village.

Henry waits until Thelo is gone. Looks below and sees the Hemocytes sleeping and he opens his mouth, revealing...

The all-in-one tool.

His tongue and inner cheeks are scratched and bleeding, but he managed to keep it safe all this time. Very carefully, he pushes it out onto his lips with his tongue then clenches it tight in his teeth. He maneuvers his hand through his bonds and extends his fingers...

He only has one chance. Takes a deep breath and spits out the tool. It falls...Nearly slips from his fingers, but he snares it between his second and third fingers and Twists it around until it's safe in his palm. By touch he finds the serrated edge and goes to work on his bonds.

000

Still in the subterranean village, two hours has passed and the Hemocytes are fast asleep. Communal slumber appears to be part of their regimen.

Sweat dripping from his brow, Henry works diligently. His right hand already free, he releases the left. Using the bonds around his waist as a fulcrum, he leans over stretching his back as far as it can go, and cuts through the ropes around his legs and ankles. The serrated edge of the all-in-one tool is almost smooth from wear. Henry clenches it between his teeth and proceeds to wriggle out of the remaining bonds and barbed wire, causing the pole to sway...

Below, where the pole is secured to the ground, the ropes start to creak. A dozing Hemocyte sniffs the air, then returns to sleep.

Above, Henry grips an overhead pipe and pulls himself up, out of bondage. The ropes burn his skin and the barbed wire bites, but he makes it up, into the rafters. Lying atop a ventilation duct, he relaxes and breathes deeply. He peers over the side and looks below. Everyone asleep. His eyes stop on the cavernous chamber where the humans are kept. Where Kate is kept.

He rolls away and slithers along the duct, away from the village. Must be quiet. Absolutely quiet. He moves onto a thick roll of electrical cables and almost falls! He grabs a cable and pulls himself up to safety. Crawling on his hands and knees, he moves toward an entrance to a subway tunnel. Almost there…And he slips. Henry braces himself, but must use one of his wounded feet to do so. He howls in silent pain.

And the tool falls from his mouth.

It sales down and it lands inches away from the face of a Hemocyte child the little creature's eyes open and find the odd piece of metal.

In the rafters, Henry knows he must move quickly. He follows the cables, and then drops to a concrete ledge. Although the souls of his feet are tender from the cuts, he must stand, he must walk. He takes a few genteel steps, then overcomes the pain and heads for the tunnel.

He stops when he sees the Hemocyte child before him-Just staring at him. She is afraid, yes, but her curiosity supersedes fear. The little Hemocyte girl cocks her head and her eyes find an open cut on Henry's torso -the blood. Like a father with a glass of warm milk, he dips a finger into the blood and offers it to the girl. She cautiously, hesitantly licks it up and

of all things, smiles at Henry.

He looks at the girl's face. The innocence in her smile, the simplicity, the naturalness of her act. She's hungry. Henry gently touches her head."Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

She obeys. Henry watches as she returns to her flock.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – Freedom!

Henry makes it inside the subway tunnels now, he is: Weak, battered, filthy, and barely clothed, Henry forces himself down the tunnel. A few rays of light poke through from the surface, but they are grey and misty, water drips through the ceiling of the tunnel-it must be raining.

000

On the city street it is a torrential downpour. In the middle of the water-slicked street, the ventilation grating to a subway shaft is punched up and out. Henry crawls out to the surface and lies on his back, allowing the rain to wash over him.

Freedom!

000

The sky is filled with thunderclouds. Rain turns the earth into a blanket of mud. Henry plods through the muck, cold and wet, until he arrives at the site of his house. Stops when he sees what little remains: A black shells. Foundation and framework. Charred and crumbling. Debris, ash, and cinders litter the area. The rain creates a hissing cloud of steam and smoke.

Henry sloshes through the mud and shifts through debris, finding charred reminders of the past three years-the books, his paintings, CDs, the exhaustive videotapes. Now all a melted mass of paper, plastic, and metal.

He finds a pair of shoes and joyously covers his scarred, throbbing feet. Nearby, in a pile of cinders, is the frame for the photo of his wife and child. The glass cracked, the frame scorched, the picture itself burned away.

He moves down, into the foundation, into the basement. Most of the weapons are twisted and burned, a few are functional. He takes essentials-two handguns and a mini machine gun and searches for usable ammunition and thankfully finds a locker full untouched by fire. In a pile of ash, he discovers the combat knife and ankle sheath.

000

In the garage, he finds shelter from the rain. The Land Rover is a junk heap, horribly wrecked by fallen timbers. He finds a long pipe and uses it as a crowbar to open the trunk. Inside is a pair of coveralls and, unscathed, an emergency kit. He slips into the coveralls, opens the kit, and checks his supplies-freeze-dried food, a tool kit, medical supplies, a

flashlight and batteries. It's enough. Enough to start over.

He checks the sports car-wrecked. Next, the motorcycle. Thanks to the lucky placement of a fallen sheet of corrugated steel, it survived. He tosses off the metal and pulls out the bike. It's smoke-damaged, scorched, and a few of the hoses are melted, but it will work. He can get it to work.

000

An hour later the rain still batters the earth's surface and thunder and lightning coming in from the Pacific. Henry has fashioned a pair off makeshift saddlebags and a gun rack on the bike. He climbs aboard the motorcycle and tries to start it. No go the first time, but the second, the bike's engine roars to life. He checks the gas gauge-a full tank.

Enough to get him..._Where? Where Foss? Who knows?_ He plows through the mud.

000

The bike speeds through the abandoned metropolis. Henry's eyes are straight ahead. No looking back.

000

Henry reaches the entrance to the bridge and pulls off onto a promontory-where tourists used to stop and take pictures. He comes to a stop, but keeps the engine running. He looks down the length of the bridge, at the ocean, back at the city. His eyes find the lighthouse where he set free the dog. The tugboat at the end of the pier.

The ocean is rough, waves break on the shoreline. Storm clouds gather in number and force. Rain pounds down on him. Henry assesses it all. Everything.

Past, present, future.

And knows what he must do.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 – the plan

Somewhere in an industrial section of the city there is an abandoned Chemical plant.

Henry walks down an aisle, machine gun in hand, flashlight searching the LARGE BINS to his left and right. Into three plastic Containers, he fills phosphor, sulfur, and magnesium.

000

In a construction supply yard Henry breaks into a small office and searches until he finds pipes, blasting caps and demolition explosives.

000

Later on during the day once he is done at the chemical plant and the construction site, Henry finds himself I an elephant's graveyard of subway trains. Above, rain pours through the cracked and broken skylight.

000

In what used to be the "nerve center" for the city's Underground transit system, Henry scrutinizes a series of maps, all detailing the routes and layouts of the subway system. To his right is a manual, flipped open to a page reading "EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLIES-START-UP PROCEDURES."

Henry primes lines, checks circuits, hits igniters. He reaches the final switch, says a prayer, and throws it...

The yard lights up like a Christmas tree.

Henry sits in the motorman's compartment, reading another manual, munching on freeze-dried food. He starts up the engine and miraculously, the motor comes to life.

The lead car, towing three passenger cars, pulls onto the main track and comes to a stop. Like a kid with his first model train set, Henry checks the maps and plots a course on the "big board" detailing the lines throughout the city. He throws a series of switches and the sound of rails and tracks being put in place reverberate throughout the tunnels and yard.

In the lead car, Henry mixes the chemicals into the pipes and attaches the blasting caps. Once a half dozen pine bombs are complete, he checks and loads each of his guns.

Henry steps into the yard and looks up, through the skylight: Night. They'll be awake. And angry.

Henry climbs into the motorman's compartment and lays out a map of the tunnel system. A course plotted. He looks into the tunnel before him: Into the belly of the beast.

The train groans down the tracks. Rusting, creaking, it starts to breathe, remembering the rhythm of the rails.

A look of grim determination on his face, Henry accelerates, further into the tunnel.

000

Within the Hemocyte village the empty pole is lowered into the center of the village. A furious Adam Worth bellows orders to Imogene and her warriors "Find him!" he Bellows, they hear a strange sound; everyone hears it: a screeching, a rumbling, the walls of the walls of the village shake. Children run frightened to the shelter of their mothers' arms.

000

Strapped down, in a weakened state, Kate hears the sound, too. It's a familiar sound. _No, it couldn't be..._

000

The train roars down the tracks. Henry at the controls, pushing the machine forward.

000

Imogene and a few Warriors run to the center track. She presses her ear to the rail and cannot believe what she hears. She looks to Worth with astonishment He knows what's coming, "Henry."

Henry peers through the motorman's window. There's the village, dead ahead. He hits the breaks.

The train bursts through a pile of debris, flattening a few Hemocyte warriors and screeches to a stop. Thirty, fifty descend upon the lead car.

A passenger door hisses open and out steps Henry. And his machine gun. He opens fire, cutting through the attackers. He heaves the first pipe bomb and it explodes with white light. Not a damaging blast, but the chemicals burn with a white hot intensity. He throws another, and another, and another. Soon the center area is bathed in a brilliant glow.

The light blinds the Hemocytes. They screech and run for cover. More significantly, the sight of Henry terrifies them. For many of them, it's as if the Devil has been resurrected and he's come for retribution. Mothers lead children into the rafters, nurses and clerics pray and flee "NO! NO!" Worth tries to get them to stop, Imogene and the Warriors will fight, if they could only see. Blindly, they move toward the train. Henry tosses a bomb at the base of the stairs, clearing a path. He grabs two bombs and runs, firing the machine gun only when necessary. He throws a tackle into a Hemocyte Warrior, uses the butt of the gun on another, and makes it up the stairs.

000

Henry bursts into the cavernous space, brandishing his weapon. It's Nurses and Clerics in here, and they're petrified. They hiss and screech, but they're not the fighting type.

Henry searches bed after bed. Children. old men, wrinkled women. Glassy-eyed, empty faces. And then he finds Kate. He kneels beside her bed and rips out the I.V. not completely drugged; her sad eyes find his and search for compassion, for understanding. Henry pulls out the combat knife and hurriedly cuts through her bonds.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so," she nods.

He hands her a gun "Take this."

Henry frees her brother. Kate takes Thad in her arms and hugs him dearly. Henry frees another child, and another. They're somewhat conscious and stumble to their feet, "We have to go."

"Henry?" Henry turns, ready with the machine gun its Thelo. Henry hesitates. Finger on the trigger: "take the children. The others are too weak. You'll never make it," talons emerge from Thelo's fingertips. And he slices the bonds of another child. Henry lowers the gun, "We shall have to find another way."

Henry, Kate, and Thelo free the children, about a dozen in total. Hemocyte warriors appear at the door: Henry sees them and rolls a pipe bomb right at them. It explodes, sending them flying and flaming into the air. The room catches fire. Henry lifts a weak child into his arms and heads for the stairs. Kate urges the children to follow.

The village is still bathed in phosphorescent glow. Henry throws another bomb, again clearing a path. He and Kate usher the children past blinded Hemocytes onto the train.

000

They make it to the subway train and Henry and Kate laid the children on passenger seats in the second and third cars. When Henry opens the door to the third, he comes face-to-face with a Hemocyte warrior. Although unable to see, the creature fiercely latches onto Henry. The children shriek. The machine gun falls from Henry's grasp and he struggles to reach a handgun in his belt. The Hemocyte raises his talons and…

BLAM! Kate fells him with a single shot to the heart. Henry pushes the body out of the train and seals the doors. As Kate secures the children, Henry runs to the motorman's booth. As the glow from the bombs diminishes, Hemocytes storm the train. As their angry fists pound against the windows, Henry gets the train the hell out of there.


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37 – Escape (Again)

In the village a fire in the cavernous room, Thelo and a few others manage to flee the Hemocytes huddle in the dark, terrified by the nightmare, hiding from the boogeyman.

000

The train roars away from the village, and Kate makes her way to Henry; she's weak and collapses, he catches her and makes her sit on a bench "how do you feel?"

"I'll be fine."

"Are they okay?" referring to the children

She nods "they think it's a dream."

He smiles and returns to the motorman's station.

"Henry?"

He turns to her.

"Thank you."

000

As the train rushes down the tunnel, reveals Worth. On the roof of the lead car Imogene and a muscular warrior atop the passenger cars.

A window shatters and the children scream in terror. Henry and Kate react. He grabs the machine gun, loads a fresh clip and positions Kate at the controls "just kept your foot here, your had on this, let the train do the rest" he showed her quickly on how to use the controls.

Henry moves into the rear car standing there is the muscular warrior the children huddle in fear in a far corner. The Muscular Hemocyte runs toward Henry. Henry shoots, but this guy is big and rushing on blood. He keeps coming. Henry calls to the children "Get in the next car, the next car!"

The children move as quickly as they can to car number 2, Henry empties the clip, but the Hemocyte grins and moves in for the kill. Henry pulls out the last pipe bomb and lobs it at the Hemocyte "say good-bye!"

Henry dives and the bomb explodes inches in front of the Muscular Hemocyte, igniting him and the car in bright white fire. In the second car, Henry attempts to calm and quiet the distraught children, but when he hears glass crash and the Kate screams, he tells them "stay here, don't move."

In the lead car, Henry finds Imogene cradling Thad in her arms. Worth holds a struggling Kate from behind, his talons at her throat. Although still moving damn fast, with no one at the controls, the train is losing speed. Henry raises the machine gun, but Worth can only sneer "put that wretched thing down," Worth's talon presses into Kate's flesh, Henry lowers the weapon, Adam gestures to the smashed open window "lose it!"

Henry complies and throws away the machine gun.

"On your knees," he orders Henry

"No," Henry simply refuses

"On your knees, Henry, and beg for her life. Does it or she'll watch her brother die quite painfully."

Imogene hisses and Henry looks at Worth with contempt. _What's that? Just past _

_Worth and Kate, over their shoulders, through the front window of the train... Is it...? Light at the end of the tunnel._ Henry goes to one knee.

"Do it," Worth orders.

Henry drops to the other "Worth? Do you pray?"

"Pray?"

"If you don't, I would start."

Henry goes to floor and braces himself. Worth turns around and through the front window, he sees a thick metal door.

The train crashes out of the tunnel, through the barrier, off the tracks, into the sand, where it topples on its side.

Henry, Kate, Worth, Imogene, the Children-all thrown out like rag dolls. A seat becomes unhinged and smacks Henry in the skull and he drops.

The lead car slides to a stop about ten feet into the ocean's edge. Waves crash against its hull. rain pummels the beach. Thunder and lightning fill the raging sky.

Chaos. Children crying smashed glass, twisted metal. The boy Thad gets his bearings and searches the car for his sister. Kate is near the front of the car, crawling away from an apparently unconscious Worth-his legs pinned under smashed and twisted metal. Also knocked out is Henry.

The lead car is sinking into the sand. water rushes in and the car's flooding. Thad moves to his sister, but the way is blocked by a battered, bloody Imogene. She hisses at the boy.

"Thad! Run! Run and hide!"

The boy knows to listen. He crawls through to the beach. Imogene lunges for him, but a bullet rips through her shoulder "Hey bitch!" Imogene spins to see Kate pointing a gun at her, "leave my little brother alone!"Kate fires, unloading every bullet into Imogene's chest. Imogene tries to press on, but the wounds are too severe. She drops to her knees. Her flesh tries to repair itself, but too much blood is lost and there's too much damage to the

heart. She hisses and dies. Kate hurries to Henry. She shakes him "Henry!"

Henry is out cold.

"I need you!" she begs

Henry's eyes open.

She starts to help him to his feet when a wave crashes into the lead car and it sinks deeper into the sand. Kate slides down the aisle, into the water. He reaches, but she's gone. Using the seats as a "ladder," Kate pulls herself out of the water. She's nearly clear when Adam Worth grabs her ankle. Kate screams. Worth emerges from the water and draws a deep breath. Kate struggles, but Worth's grasp is tight.

Henry finds his combat knife, slides to them. He slashes Worth's arm, virtually severing it at the wrist. Kate frees herself. Henry pulls her out of the car.

000

The lead car sinks deeper. Water fills the interior. On the sandy beach, Henry and Kate get to their feet and see the rest of the children in the second car, water on one side, fire-from the burning third car-on the other.

He and Kate run to the car and help the panicked, crying children from the wreckage. Henry lifts a helpless child into his arms and nods in the direction of the tugboat,"Take them to the boat!"

000

In the lead car, Worth is drowning. His hand dangles and blood forms a cloud in the rushing water. He spies Imogene's body down the aisle. He looks at her dead eyes. The pool of blood around her. Worth closes his eyes... And wills the blood to him. It creeps down the floor, along the walls, to his talons. He lifts the crimson to his lips and drinks.

000

The rain is incessant. The children cover at the thunder and lightning. Kate and Henry lead them down the pier, to the tugboat. Two more children-too weak to walk-remain at the train wreck and Henry returns for them. Kate scans the faces of the others, searching for her brother "Thad?" she yells for him.

000

Underwater, Worth holds his hand to its split-open wrist. The hand fuses to its former limb. Muscles bulging from the feeding, Worth lifts the twisted metal and frees his legs from the wreckage. Eyes open wide, glowing with hate; he swims through the cracked open windshield, into the ocean.


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – Final Battle

Henry returns to the boat with the last two children. A panicked Kate meets him, "I can't find Thad!"

Henry scans the beach and calls out the boy's name "Thad!"

A flash of lightning illuminates the lighthouse and Henry sees the boy in the window, hiding, "he's in the lighthouse, you stay, watch them" he's referring to the children "I'll be right back. I promise."

He gives her the last gun and runs to the lighthouse.

000

Henry climbs up the creaking staircase. Thad spots him and runs away, up the stairs "No! Thad! Wait!"

Henry emerges from a maintenance door and steps onto the catwalk surrounding the pinnacle. Atop the dome of the lighthouse, painted into the sky, is a lightning rod. Henry sees it, keeps low, and calls out "Thad!"

Thunder and lightning; followed by a child's whimpering. Henry moves to it and finds Thad cowering in a fetal position. He cautiously kneels, gently extends his hand "Please, Thad, come with me."

With tear-filled eyes, the boy looks to Henry.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," he promises.

Thad slowly extends his hand. Henry takes it, smiles, and lifts the boy into his arms. He stands. When he turns, he finds Worth waiting for him. Dripping wet, pumped up, eyes gleaming, teeth bared "Hello Henry." Talons emerge from his fingers, "By now, we should use first names, don't you think? I'm Adam."

Henry steps back, away from Worth, who calmly advances, the two men moving around the circular catwalk.

"You're very resilient, I'll give you that."

Henry continues to back off, Worth closing in.

"Shouldn't you simply give in? Join the rest of them? Die?"

Henry glances to his left and sees what he wanted-the maintenance hatch. He quickly lowers Thad and instructs "Go to the boat! Go to Kate!"

The boy does as told and runs down the stairs. Brandishing the combat knife, Henry turns to Worth.

"You're sentimental. A weakness."

The two men face off. Worth makes the first move. Slashes at Henry's chest, rips through the coveralls and scrapes his flesh. Henry lunges with the knife, but Worth is swift and easily steps aside. He laughs, "You'll have to do better."

000

Thad runs into Kate's arms. She looks up at the lighthouse, "Henry!"

000

Henry looks down at the boat from the catwalk, at Kate and shouts to her "Go, Kate! Go Now!"

"How noble," Worth slashes

Henry ducks and crawls away.

"Show some dignity."

Henry thrusts with the knife. Worth blocks and the knife falls over the side, into the sea. Worth laughs. Pulls in his talons and proceeds to pummel Henry with his fists. Henry can barely defend himself. He falls and pulls himself up. Henry appears hopelessly doomed to defeat. Worth extends his talons and moves in like a cat, Henry scurries up the lighthouse dome. It's slippery, but he makes it to the very top, clinging to the lightning rod, "Please, Henry. Where do you think you're going?"

"I don't know, Adam," Henry stands and leans against the rod, using his weight to snap it free from its mooring "But you can go to hell."

With the lightning rod extended like a spear, Henry slides down the dome and drives it straight into Worth's heart. Worth howls with pain. His chest bursts with crimson. Blood gurgles from his throat and all he can mutter is "noooooo!"

Lightning flashes in the sky. In a split second, Henry jumps into the hatch. Like the Hand of God, a bolt of lightning slashes across the night sky and touches the spike of metal in Worth's chest. The top of the lighthouse-and Worth-explodes in a burst of white sparks. Worth's scream echoes. His scorched body falls into the ocean.


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 – The End

Kate waits at the boat. Henry runs across the sand. Although weak, his face is filled with joy. She waited. Kate waited. At this moment in time, he is happy. It's all behind. You can move forward. He stops dead when he sees a pack of wild Hemocyte dogs. Waiting. Six vicious creatures. Growling. Hungry. They circle Henry, waiting for the precise moment to move in for the kill. A harsh bark stops them. Another dog runs from the forest and climbs atop a large rock. The leader: Henry's dog.

The other dogs back off, intimidated. Henry's dog runs across the sand, barking at his subordinates. Tails between their legs, the others break into the forest. Henry's dog-proud and strong-approaches his former master.

A look of recognition and understanding passes between them.

The dog looks to the boat, turns to Henry. His eyes. There's still something in the eyes. The dog gently barks and steps aside, allowing Henry entry to the pier. Henry walks on, breaks into a run, and falls into Kate's arms.

The dog observes, mournfully howls and returns to the forest.

000

In the boat the Children sit huddled under blankets, clinging to each other for warmth. Henry looks at them: The next generation. He starts the engine. The storm is subsiding, the sea calm beyond the breakers. Kate holds him and leans her head on his shoulder "Where are we going?"

Henry doesn't have an answer. He just goes forward. He moves the boat forward.

000

The tugboat passes under the Bridge. Henry is oblivious to the physical pain in his body. There's energy coming from him, a sense of purpose: _"Hell is oneself, Hell is alone, the other figures in it merely projections. There is nothing to escape from and nothing to escape to. _

_One is always alone. T.S. Eliot wrote that, and just yesterday, I might've agreed with him. But I don't feel alone. Not now. I'm not escaping, I'm changing. I'm no longer trapped. Not by Worth, not by me. I have hope. I was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1972 I had a wife Erika and a daughter Alice. My name is Henry Foss. I am legend." _He finds himself thinking as he pulls Kate close and drinks in the sky, the morning sun breaks through the clouds and lights a path to the future.


End file.
